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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23600614">Torn Wings and Bloodied Feathers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_duke_is_back/pseuds/The_duke_is_back'>The_duke_is_back</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angel Wings, Dead Carla Yeager, Detective Erwin Smith, Detective Hange, Detective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Doctor Grisha Yeager, M/M, Nile is an Ass, Scientist Hange Zoë, Specimen Eren, Test Subject Eren, Wings, bad grisha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:48:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>72,550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23600614</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_duke_is_back/pseuds/The_duke_is_back</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Eren was six years old, the men in black came. It has been what feels like an eternity to Eren. An eternity filled with pain and hatred. He came to know only the exhausting experiments and the white walls of his room.<br/>However, that all changed the day that man showed up.</p><p>Even though A Titan's Poisoned Chalice is complete, I will still be updating every two weeks. The only difference is it will now be on Saturday instead of Sunday.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>425</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Capture</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day everything started, it started with a shouting match between Grisha and Carla. Grisha wanted to come forward about something to the scientific community, saying how it could be beneficial to everyone and help so many people. Carla adamantly refused whatever he was suggesting, saying that she would never go along with something like that. Eren didn't remember much of the argument. All Eren remembered was that Carla's wings were ruffled and fluffed up. </p><p>Yes, Carla Jaeger had wings. They were a white with gold brown edges. They rose from her back and nearly brushed the ceiling when relaxed. They were enormous and majestic. Eren had wings too, but they didn't look like his moms. His wings were split. One of his wings was a dark blue, almost black, and the other was pure white. They dwarfed his small form as he played with blocks on the floor. As a kid, he didn't care about what his parents said. It wouldn't affect him, it was grown up stuff. </p><p>Oh how wrong he was. </p><p>Grisha glared at Carla before stalking to the door. </p><p>"You have two days to change your mind before I drag you into it by force. There isn't an easy way out of this, Carla. I will tell them. The only thing you can do, is make it easier on yourself and on Eren by coming willingly. Otherwise, nothing will hold us back." With that threat made he stalked out, slamming the door behind him. </p><p>Carla's wings drooped, the way they did when she felt defeated or sad. She began to weep. It slowly developed into full grown wailing. Thankfully no one really cared about what was happening because no one knocked on the door. Eren frowned and crawled over to his mother. He tugged on her skirt and lifted his arms, making his desire to be held known. Carla scooped him up and curled him protectively against her. She sobbed against him and he wrapped his little wings around her as much as he could. He didn't like seeing his mom upset. He liked it a lot more when she smiled.  </p><p>"He's sick in the head!" she whispered. "I can't stay with him and neither can you."</p><p>Eren was confused at first, but soon his bags were packed. It consisted of a single duffle bag of clothes for both his mom and him. Inside of one of its pockets there was roughly 50,000 dollars. Where his mom had gotten that much money, Eren didn't know. He didn't particularly care either. His mom also brought the gauze to bind their wings. Binding their wings against their backs and wearing baggy clothing was the only way they could hide their differences. She had been taught by her parents and eventually she would teach Eren. That was what he thought anyway. </p><p>She carried him onto the balcony in his baby carrier. He was confused but didn't mind. After all, it wasn't that unusual for them to go somewhere like that. Although, normally Grisha was with them on those trips. Eren shrugged and focused more on his mom. Her wings spread and they soared into the sky, flying above sight of the city within seconds. </p><p>This was something Eren always loved. Being able to see everything spread out in front of him. It felt like the world was at his fingertips. He giggled and happily reached towards the ground. Carla paused in the sky to tighten the straps on his baby carrier, making sure he wouldn't be uncomfortable but also wouldn't be able to fall out. His wings made it annoying but she'd modified it so she could hold him with his wings anyway. </p><p>Once sure he'd be fine, his mother took off at her top speed, reaching a max of 300 miles per hour. She was sped by fear and desire to protect her little one, thus increasing her speed of flight. When she stopped for the night, she was exhausted and her wings drooped from overuse. They had landed on an enormous mountain range with the setting sun painting the mountain blue and purple. Carla paused to catch her breath, fighting to control her instincts. </p><p>She hadn't flown that fast for so long in a long time. It would take a bit before she'd be good to go again. Eren giggled and reached up to grab her face. She smiled at him. She unbuckled the baby carrier and turned him to face her. He paused in his eager giggles and reaching, surprised by the seriousness of her expression.</p><p>"Eren. I want you to make me a promise. Promise me Eren, that you will never <em>ever </em>show a person your wings. I don't care if you like that person or not, it's safer not to. Promise me, Eren." Eren giggled and nodded, pressing his forehead against Carla's. </p><p>"I won't, mommy. I promise."</p><p>After that day it was years of running and moving. Eren never really got close to anyone he met because he knew that they could be leaving soon. And he was right. His mom never let them stay in one place longer than three months. After that they would find a quiet place to fly away. Eren had learned how to fly somewhat, but he couldn't fly as fast as Carla yet. </p><p>Carla was so frightened by whatever was chasing them. Eren never knew why they'd left home or his dad behind. All he knew was that they were running from something and that his dad would've been a hindrance in their ability to escape. So he never asked why his mom would cry over his dad's picture sometimes. He would simply pretend he'd never seen it in the first place. After all, he knew his mom would put on a brave face for him. She couldn't appear scared in front of her child, right?</p><p>Carla made sure to be careful and cover their tracks. Several excuses were used in different cities for why they were there. Visiting family, moving, seeing the sights, or even just seeing if they wanted to live there. Carla became a master of lying. She even changed her name, although she kept Eren's the same. Instead of Carla Jaeger, she became Karula Hunter. She liked the name Karula and would take it every other city. Eren was home schooled although they never stayed long enough for the cops to figure out that he wasn't going to school like they thought. </p><p>Eren still had his mother bind his wings anytime she would drop him off at the library to read while she went to work. Eren was a smart child, easily already at the reading level of a nine year old, almost twice his age. It was annoying to feel his wings straining to free themselves of the bindings but Eren knew it was needed. He couldn't just leave them out in the open where someone could see. </p><p>Eren figured that he could try to help out around the house or simply cheer up his mother by telling her things he'd learned. So he avoided the children's books and fiction novels, favoring instead the nonfiction books. Cookbooks and Do It Yourself books were common favorites for the young child. Even with his chubby baby hands he could still try to help out his mother. Eventually though, he began coming across the same recipes and instructions. So he moved on to doing basic math and reading science books. Even though he didn't particularly enjoy his time spent in the library, he knew that it was better than sitting at home and waiting for his mom to come home. Every day after Carla had finished whatever jobs she'd been working at before, she would come to pick him up. They'd call for him on the intercom and Eren would put his books away before coming to Carla. He would smile and take her hand whenever she reached for him. </p><p>This happened in every city. Eren quickly learned multiple languages out of necessity. He couldn't read some of the books he'd find in the libraries so he'd grab a language dictionary and translate what he was reading from that. He didn't know anything fluently, but thankfully no one was expecting him to. Most people probably would have found it strange if a five year old could speak fluently in over a dozen languages. </p><p>However, when Eren was six, the moving stopped. Carla had worked up enough money to buy a small house for them. Eren eagerly accepted and the two settled down to make their nest in Orem, Utah in the United States of America. It was an unsuspecting area with not much going on. It was pretty quiet and Eren appreciated that. Although, he did miss the forests of Germany. But still, the Rocky Mountain range behind their house wasn't too bad either. </p><p>Soon they were lulled into a sense of false security. The quietness of the city soothed them and slowly they began to relax, becoming careless again. </p><p>This was Carla's downfall. </p><p>When Eren had just started going to a public school, he came home in time to see his mother come in. Her wings were tearing through her bindings and shirt, desperately trying to escape. Her eyes met Eren's and he felt a rock hit the bottom of his stomach. </p><p>Tears dripped from her eyes. They were desperate and fearful. </p><p>"Run! Eren, run!" she screamed. Eren took off, running for the backdoor. If he could make it to the mountains, he could hide. He'd be safe in the mountain with its holes, caves, and trees he could hide behind. Terror fought him as he stumbled outside, ripping off his shirt and bindings to take flight. </p><p>He never got the chance, however. </p><p>A weighted net was thrown over him and Eren screamed, fear evident in his eyes as people dressed completely in black approached from the trees. </p><p>"Eren!" Carla screamed, heading for her son. A gunshot rang through the air and she fell, body lifeless. Eren was still screaming and thrashing in the net, desperate not to be caught by whatever this thing was. His screams were ignored, mostly because all the neighbors were at work and there was no one close enough to get there before the men grabbed him. </p><p>One of them caught the edge of his wing and squeezed. Eren cried out, tears of pain dripping from his eyes as he tried to pull away from the person gripping him. However, they just rolled him over and pinned him on the ground. Eren sobbed into the dirt as someone brought a cloth up into his mouth, gagging him securely. A cloth was pressed over his mouth and nose. Eren's eyes watered at the bitter smell but soon his vision began to swim and slowly he allowed himself to go limp. The net was removed and that was when Eren attempted to make his escape. His wings spread and he shot into the air only to crash down, unable to keep himself in the air. His vision swum too much for that. Someone grabbed him and forced his wings to fold against his back before clamping something over them. When they let go of him, Eren realized that he couldn't move his wings. They were held fast by something. </p><p>Eren rolled over, attempting to see the face of his attacker. Because of his wings not being able to move, he could only roll onto his side as they pressed the cloth over his mouth and nose again. All he saw was black fabric and black goggles that reflected the light. There was nothing to tell him who he was looking at. His vision began to darken as he inhaled whatever was on the cloth. </p><p>As he was passing out, he caught snippets of conversation. </p><p>"You idiot, you weren't supposed to kill her!"</p><p>"What, well now we can use her for an autopsy and experiment with the kid."</p><p>"Screw you, they wanted contrasting reports. They wanted to know what an adult could do compared to a child you idiot!" </p><p>"Well now they can get it, they just have to wait for the kid to grow up is all."</p><p>"Both of you shut up."</p><p>"Yes sir!"</p><p>"Is he restrained?"</p><p>"He's restrained. Give me another minute and he'll be out for the entire trip."</p><p>"Good. Everyone pack it up. Grab the female and put her in a freezer. They aren't going to be happy she's dead so we can at least keep her in pretty good condition. Pack it up, everybody!" </p><p>With that, Eren's vision went dark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Trapped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>White room, white walls, white everything. <br/>Is there anyway this place could be worse?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eren groaned as he slowly began to wake up. Something...felt wrong. His back...no, his <em>wings </em>hurt. He struggled to move and feel what was wrong. However, he felt something hold his hand in place. Had he gotten it wrapped up in the blankets again? He tried to free his hand but whatever he was caught in held fast. His eyes opened and were met with an unfamiliar white wall. His eyes widened in fear. </p><p>
  <em>I don't know this place...where am I?? What's going on? Where's-</em>
</p><p>His breath caught in his throat when he remembered. The net, the men in black, and...and the gunshot. He didn't see his mom fall, but he heard the thump. He remembered a conversation, scolding one of them for killing her and he began to hyperventilate, thrashing against his bindings. He heard the sound of a door opening and he began to fight harder, tears beading in his eyes. </p><p>"Woah, Eren, you're going to hurt yourself like that," a familiar voice said. Eren looked up and was shocked to see his father above him. </p><p>"D-dad? What're you doing here? Where's mom?? What's going on?" he demanded. His father sighed and scratched at the back of his head, glancing around the room. </p><p>"I am sorry about all this, Eren. I really didn't want you to be restrained in this manner. But there's no helping it since we don't know what you'll do if we let you loose." Eren stared at his father, not understanding what he was going on about. His father noticed that Eren had calmed down but continued on. "Your mother...Carla...she's dead. One of the men sent to recover you killed her on accident. Which was an enormous screw up on his part, but we'll have to make do with what we get."</p><p>Eren began to cringe away from his father. Something was wrong. He wasn't acting like what Eren remembered. He seemed so cold and unaffected by Carla's death, even though he was supposed to love her. And he'd said that the men in black were sent after Eren to 'recover' him, as though he were a stolen possession or something. His father wasn't looking at him, hadn't since he'd first come in. Eren frowned as slowly but surely the puzzle pieces began to click in his mind. </p><p>"Dad...what are you doing here?" he repeated slowly. His father froze before looking at Eren. His eyes were cold. </p><p>"Straight to the point, huh? I knew you were different from the day you were born. You were smarter than the average human child, almost up to where you should've been in a year. When I confronted Carla about it, she came clean about her wings. I'd never even known she'd had them yet I'd been able to get her to conceive without noticing them at all. How she did that, I guess I'll never know." Eren was beginning to shake and jerk against his restraints again. Grisha glanced over and sighed. </p><p>"Don't do that, you'll only hurt yourself. Those are made to hold a full grown bodybuilder, someone who should have quite a bit more strength than you at the moment." Eren pulled his head back away from Grisha's reaching hand. </p><p>"What did you do?" he demanded. Grisha sighed. </p><p>"You're far smarter than I anticipated. Oh well. We'll have to go through some tests to gauge just where you fall on the academic level. I don't think it will be very hard because of how much variety there would've been in what you wanted to learn about." Eren glared at Grisha. "I figure there's no point in lying to you. I've brought you here to have you studied. You aren't human and your abilities definitely show it. As such, I want to know just how and why you can do what you can. So I had you and Carla hunted down. Although, Carla was supposed to be alive when they found her."</p><p>Eren stared at his father with disgust. </p><p>"Are we just science experiments to you?" he demanded, rage coursing through him. His arms strained to free themselves from the bindings, small muscles flexing. Grisha watched as his son struggled, noting that his green eyes turned gold with rage and power. Grisha nodded to one of the people behind Eren and they nodded back. </p><p>Eren screamed as something pulled on his feathers, jerking a few of them out. The power that had coursed through him previously disappeared and he thrashed, trying to desperately escape whatever had his wings in its grip. Grisha sighed and sat down in front of Eren. He flicked his fingers and the man behind Eren released the machine's grip on Eren's wings. Eren slumped and glared at Grisha, tears budding in his eyes. Grisha sighed. </p><p>"Eren. We're very curious about you. That's likely the only reason we aren't studying your corpse. There's more we can learn with you alive than if you were dead. Besides, although it was unintended, we have your mother for that." Eren shuddered and refused to look at his father for fear of his father seeing the hatred and rage in his eyes. Grisha stared at his son. "Eren. Look at me when I'm talking to you."</p><p>Eren glared at Grisha, tears still collecting in his golden eyes. Grisha frowned. Eren's eyes hadn't returned to their green shade. They were still gold, even though there was no power flowing through him right now. </p><p>"What." Eren couldn't keep the bitterness and hatred from leaking into his voice. Grisha sighed. </p><p>"We'll be running experiments on you. I won't be in charge of any of the actual testing, I'll just be in charge of looking at results and deciding on the other tests we'll run through. For now though, let me introduce the person who will be in charge of your testing." Grisha beckoned to a person behind Eren. Eren frowned. </p><p>"Why? So I can know who's going to be cutting me up?" he hissed. Grisha sighed and the other man came forward. </p><p><em>He looks like a rat. </em>Was Eren's first thought. Grisha held out his hand, gesturing to the man. </p><p>"This is Nile Dok. As for the cutting...we don't plan any of that until your body can handle it better," Grisha said. Eren glared at him. </p><p>"Am I wrong to assume that you are going to do it anyways? Does it matter if it's now or a few years from now? The only difference is the data you get," Eren growled. Grisha sighed. </p><p>"Eren, the tests would've been quite a bit easier if your mother would've just cooperated with us from the beginning. Now. You will cooperate with us, or you will regret it," Grisha warned. Eren felt the machine touch his feathers. He swallowed and glared at his father, forcing himself to swallow his pride. </p><p>"Fine." Grisha smiled. </p><p>"That's what I like to hear. Nile, he's all yours." With that, Grisha left the room. Eren glared after him for as long as he could. Nile sighed. </p><p>"First things first, we're going to have to get an academics test done to figure out how smart you really are. We've done all the other needed tests. Blood work, height, weight, age, wingspan and such are already done. We did that when you were asleep. Figured it would be easier than if you were awake." Nile set up a projector and had Eren answer the questions that came up on it until they were flashing too fast for him to see. Eren shut his eyes and felt sick. Nile sighed and clicked off the projector. </p><p>"Take him to his room." He felt whatever was holding his wings release and someone in white suits came forward and unbuckled his restraints. Eren couldn't even resist because he felt so sick. They carried him and he considered fighting back, but sadly there were too many. He let himself go lax, eyes shutting until he felt himself get thrown into a room. His eyes opened and he looked around. He heard the door lock so he ignored it. </p><p>When he looked around the room, he was sadly disappointed. Thankfully there weren't any cameras in here so he didn't have to worry about being watched. He sighed and forced himself to stand, stretching his wings around him so he could view the damage. He snorted when he realized that they'd clipped and pulled some of the primaries, the feathers he'd need if he wanted to fly. Clearly they were paranoid enough about him escaping that they weren't willing to risk him flying away. Other than that, the blood had already clotted. He watched as the wounds healed completely, although his primaries would take more time to heal. </p><p>He frowned at his wings. They weren't looking too good. The feathers were out of order. He sighed and sat down on the white bed in his white room. He glared around. There was nothing that wasn't white in here. At least, nothing that he could see. There weren't even any shadows aside from his own. He smoothly raked his fingers through his feathers, easily putting them back in place. Someone other than him had run their hands through his feathers and it made him sick but there was no way to figure out who had done it or even clean his wings. So he forced himself to bear with it. </p><p>Once he was sure they were smooth, he lay back on the bed. He hated the fact that he had to just sit here and wait. He rolled over, facing away from the door, to try and sleep. </p><p>
  <em>This is going to be a while. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He didn't know how long it was after his initial arrival before they finally took him in to begin their real tests. Before they'd just take him out to take his weight and height or wingspan. This time when the door opened, Eren was immediately on edge. There were more of them than usual for one thing. The other reason he was on edge was because they held tranquilizer guns. He'd learned to recognize the differences in models that shot normal bullets and the ones that shot the hated tranquilizer darts. </p><p>His wings pulled against his back, making himself a smaller target. Grisha appeared in the doorway. </p><p>"Eren, don't fight." Eren glared at him. </p><p>"Yeah well, maybe if they weren't wielding guns and tranqs I might be a little more relaxed." Grisha sighed. </p><p>"Get him." Eren flipped over the first one who went for him, wings flaring and struggling to stay aloft. He soared for the door but felt a couple of tranqs shoot into his wings. He cried out and collapsed, wings snapping shut out of instinct. He crashed against the wall on the other side of the hallway. They immediately went for him but Eren forced himself to his feet. The tranquilizer was causing him to feel confused and unsteady, but he trusted his ears and other senses. He spread his hurting wings and shot away from them, as fast as he could until his wings were too numb to fly further. Soon he couldn't even stand and he slid down against the wall, trying to focus. </p><p>Two feet appeared in front of his face and his eyes flicked up to see Nile staring down at him. </p><p>"I'm surprised you made it this far on your own. It's no big deal though. Let's go." Nile snapped his fingers and more of the figures came and picked up Eren. He whimpered and they strapped him down. He couldn't even fight them, though he wanted to. Nile tore his shirt off easily and clipped the pants until they barely came to mid thigh. Eren braced himself when they brought out the blades. </p><p>Still, he wasn't prepared for the agony as they dug them into his flesh. </p><p>It wasn't just a sudden cut, no, they dragged it through his flesh slowly. Eren shouted and screamed, thrashing against them until they strapped down his chest and head. Eren could feel the wounds healing once the blades were free. Nile was curious as to why it didn't start healing as soon as his body detected an injury and decided to stab him and leave the blade inside him. He picked the lower part of Eren's stomach. Eren jolted with a high pitched wail. Slowly they continued to cut and stab and injure him. They collected any blood that slipped off the sides of Eren's body. Nile noted that his blood crystalized once it was airborne. So instead of having drops of blood pooling in a puddle, they ended up with nothing more than a bunch of red crystals. </p><p>They continued to cut Eren to pieces for hours, trying to see how his body reacted to different blades and being cut in different areas. Eren was silent during one cut when they slit his throat, severing his vocal cords at the same time. Those there noticed that he healed faster than any other cut there, the injury disappearing within seconds of the blade being removed. There wasn't even a scar left over once it had healed completely. Once they were satisfied with knowledge from that part of him, they continued on, exploring how every part of his body reacted. While they were doing this, Eren screamed and thrashed as much as he could until he finally passed out from blood loss. </p><p>When he woke up, he was back in his room. When the door opened, he prayed for it to just be time to eat. Instead he shuddered at the sight of Grisha and the guards again, backing up into the corner. </p><p>And the cycle started all over again. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Changes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren develops some new changes.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eren stared at the door, eyes drooping. He yawned and wanted to lay down but knew he couldn't. His instincts were on edge. They had been for a while now. After all, who knew when that door would open. </p><p>When the men in white would come to take him. </p><p>When Nile would resume his gruesome tests.</p><p>When his father would try to talk to him and tell him this was all fine. </p><p>When...</p><p> </p><p>When...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Gu~~rgle.</em>
</p><p>A loud rumbling groan came from Eren's stomach. He curled up, hoping to reduce the hunger pains coming from his stomach. </p><p>He didn't know how long it'd been since he'd last eaten. There was no way to tell time here so it simply wasn't possible. However, it had been at least three tests since the last time he'd eaten which meant that his healing powers were reduced. He worried that he wouldn't survive if they made him go through another test. He simply couldn't regenerate fast enough. </p><p>His blood stained the white sheets on his bed and Eren sighed, head hanging. His feathers were nearly healed at this point but he knew that as soon as they were fully healed enough to fly, they'd be clipped again. </p><p>Eren absently carded his fingers through his feathers. He winced as something sharp caught his fingers. He pulled his hand away to find he was bleeding. It healed quickly but Eren wondered if they'd put something in his wings. He stretched his wing so he could see it and was surprised. His feathers were heavier than normal. He brushed one and found that it was harder than it should've been. He traced the edge and winced as he cut himself. He stared at the feathers in shock. </p><p>They were hardened and sharper than the blades Nile used to cut him with. He stared at them before trying to relax. </p><p>
  <em>It's probably just something to do with the lack of food.</em>
</p><p>His head bobbed and he fearfully waited for the men to arrive. His eyes were just drifting closed when the door opened. Eren blinked blearily and saw his father appear in the doorway. But this time, there weren't any white men. Instead there were the black men from the day his mom had died. </p><p>Eren forced himself to stand, stumbling slightly. He stared at his father, eyes broken and wings curled against his back. His father smiled, the pleasant scientist smile he always had. </p><p>"Come, Eren. Let's go." Eren flapped his wings lightly to balance for when he felt like he was about to pass out. He followed his father wordlessly. He knew that if he tried to fight, it wouldn't do any good. He would either be dragged or put back into that room. He forced himself to prepare for the endless torture he knew was coming. After all, if he'd been taken out of his cell that meant they had tests to perform. It was a mind numbing, blood curdling pattern. </p><p>Today however, the pattern broke. Instead of heading down the testing hall that Eren had gotten familiar with, his father lead the group in the opposite direction. Eren's eyes brightened with hope. </p><p><em>Is he...is he going to let me go?? </em>Eren wondered eagerly.</p><p>His wings fluttered a little with excitement but soon he found himself in a padded room. This was most certainly not the exit. His eyes flicked over the room as his wings lowered in defeat. </p><p>Punching bags hung on the far side of the room. Weight lifting machines lined the room. He frowned. </p><p>
  <em>Why would Grisha lead me to a gym? Is he going to be testing my physical abilities?</em>
</p><p>Grisha turned to face his son while the men in black left. Only one of them remained and Eren couldn't bring himself to look at their face. It was the one he'd seen before passing out on the day he was captured. Just looking at him made Eren remember the helplessness and the sound of the gunshot that brought his mother down. He didn't want to remember that. </p><p>"Alright, Eren. We're going to be trying something new." Eren frowned and stared at his father. Taking Eren's lack of response for permission to continue, Grisha spoke again. "We're going to be training you. Someone brought up the fact that you are extraordinarily weak. We figured it might be nice for you to exercise."</p><p>"Cut the crap, Grisha. What do you really want? There's a reason for this. You never do anything because it's 'nice'," Eren growled. Grisha sighed and stared at his son. </p><p>"Some people want to use you as a weapon. They figure with your abilities it shouldn't be too hard. As such, we're also going to be training you in addition to testing." Eren glared at his father. This man, the one who'd given birth to him, was training him to be a killer. Not only was he testing and experimenting on his own son, he's trying to get him to kill people. His father sighed. "It won't be for a while. Don't worry about that."</p><p>
  <em>That's not what I'm worried about, asshole.</em>
</p><p>"Now then, you'll be training with Zagan here. Don't worry about anything else." Eren nodded and with that, Grisha left the room. Zagan stared at him. </p><p>"Well, Eren, let's get this started. First of all, we need to work on basic form." Zagan had Eren take a couple of different stances and then switch randomly between them. Eren didn't like it whenever Zagan came over and would physically adjust Eren's position. His hands, even covered by the gloves, felt sick and sent shivers down Eren's spine. </p><p>When Zagan was finally satisfied with Eren's form, he came around in front of me. </p><p>"Alright, now we're going to spar. I want you to attack me and I'll do the same thing. Don't hold back." Eren blinked, shocked. He was about to open his mouth to say something in response to that, but Zagan rushed forward. Eren jerked back, wings flaring and attempting to pull himself into the air. Zagan grabbed Eren's ankle and threw him back to the ground. Eren winced as his sharp wings dug into his skin. Zagan glared down at where Eren coughed on the floor. </p><p>"Get up. Don't hold back because I'm going to be coming at you like I'm going to kill you. I have no hesitations about breaking your bones if that's what it takes to get you to fight for real. I know you won't die no matter what I do, so you had better fight back if you want fewer injuries," Zagan snarled. Eren glared at him, tears beading in his eyes. Anger built up in him and he stood, fury coursing through him and making him feel unbeatable. </p><p>Grisha leaned closer to the monitor, staring at his son's face. </p><p>"Zoom in on his eyes," he ordered. The person in charge of it did. Grisha's eyes lit up when he saw that Eren's eyes were glowing gold. They hadn't gone back to green since he'd been brought in here but this was a clear difference. He smirked and pressed the communicator that connected to the one in Zagan's ear. "Attack without hesitation. Don't worry, he'll likely heal even faster right now than he would under normal circumstances."</p><p>Zagan glared as Eren slowly stood up, wings fluffed slightly. He felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of Eren's glowing eyes. This <em>thing </em>wasn't human in the least. However, he'd come knowing that. </p><p>Eren launched at Zagan, attacking quickly. Zagan dodged and slammed a fist against Eren's stomach. Eren grunted but continued attacking. They went back and forth for a few minutes although it was clear that Eren couldn't hit Zagan. Zagan merely dodged all of Eren's hits, even as Eren simply absorbed them and continued attacking. After a while though, Zagan felt himself beginning to tire and grew annoyed with the steady back and forth. So he went on the offensive. </p><p>He grabbed the front of Eren's shirt, taking him by surprise and then pulled him closer, swinging a leg to knock Eren off his feet. Eren's eyes widened and he fell forward. Zagan smoothly wrapped his hands around the back of Eren's head. He violently slammed him against his knee. There was a vicious crack and Eren's eyes darkened, lids falling shut. Zagan stood over the unconscious boy. Eren's mouth and nose were leaking blood but rapidly healed. Zagan shuddered when he saw Eren's nose snap back into place.</p><p>Grisha frowned. It had only been half an hour but Eren hadn't displayed any signs of increased strength. His speed had increased but nothing else had really changed. He frowned and made a dismissive motion to the recovery agents. </p><p>"Put him back into his room and you're free to go for today. We won't be needing you for a while. Hopefully in a few days he'll be better prepared. Although, tell Zagan to ease up. We want him to be trained, not beaten to a pulp." They nodded and disappeared. Grisha sighed in annoyance. </p><p> </p><p>When Eren woke up, he didn't know how long it'd been but he was still tired. Everywhere that Zagan had touched him still stung. He wasn't sure what had come over him but he'd actually fought back. He still hadn't won though. Eren sighed and rolled over. He shut his eyes, hoping that the darkness would claim him again. That he wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. He shifted and froze when he felt something wet and cold brush his skin. He jerked upright and stared at his hands. </p><p>A green gel like fluid covered them. Eren shifted his hands, hoping it would fall off but it simply stuck to his skin. He stared at it for a moment before he sniffed it. Shockingly enough it didn't have the painful sharp smell of chemicals. He frowned and hesitantly licked it. </p><p>Flavor burst over his tongue and his eyes widened. It was...sweet but rich at the same time. He quickly began to lap it up, eagerly eating the strange substance. Once it was all gone, his stomach grumbled unhappily. Eren felt something shiver through his hands and his eyes widened as he watched something strange happen. The green gel oozed out of his skin, as if it were coming out of him. Eren stared at it. He quickly ate it though, hoping that maybe it would fill him up. </p><p>It didn't, but it eased the pain of his hunger. That made it easier for Eren to relax and allowed his instincts to rest. Eren shut his eyes and fell asleep. </p><p><em>Maybe tomorrow will be better. </em>He foolishly thought, tears dripping down his cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>Tomorrow wasn't better. It was worse. He had an experiment where they tried to see how long it would take for him to heal cuts that they'd normally done before. Nile seemed to be purposefully causing more pain than normal. What made it worse was that right after, while he was still tired and weak from blood loss, he got dragged to training with Zagan. He came out of that with more bruises than he knew he could have. Even his bruises had bruises. When Eren got back to his room, he fell on his bed with a soft hiss of pain. </p><p>Tears dripped from his eyes and he fell into a pained sleep. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A scientist watched what they'd been doing to the teenager in horror. They pulled out his file and read what was written. </p><p>
  <em>Eren Jaeger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Species: Angel. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Abilities: Increased healing, strength, speed, smell, hearing, sight, and taste. Possibly flight but theory untested. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tests Currently being run: Starvation; currently ongoing for four months. Dehydration: currently ongoing for two months. Training: currently testing to see how training him in combat effects mental health as well as physical health. Regenerative: cutting him up to see how quickly he heals. </em>
</p><p>They shuddered in disgust and shut the file. They quickly went outside, saying they wanted to eat out today. They quickly entered a library and went to the computers. They opened a website and typed in an anonymous email requesting to meet and talk further on the subject. </p><p>
  <strong>To: Survey Corps Detective </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>From: Anonymous</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Message: I know of a strange experimentation going on. More information will be given in person where it's safer. Please meet me at XXX-XXXX_XX for more information. </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Case</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Time to meet with the strange person who sent the email.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Levi groaned as he reread the email for what could only be the hundredth time. It wasn't that long. It wasn't that informative. It wasn't <em>anything </em>really. And that annoyed Levi. </p><p>"Erwin this whole thing seems fishy to me," he said for what had to have been the fiftieth time. Erwin stifled a groan of his own and turned his long suffering gaze on Levi. Steel gray eyes met sky blue in a battle of wills before Levi looked away. Erwin sighed.</p><p>"I know how it looks Levi, but my gut instinct is that whoever sent this email is afraid of what could happen to them if someone other than us found out about it. If that's the case then they are potentially in danger and so is whoever they're trying to help." Levi glared at his desk. </p><p><em>Why me...why did I get picked for such a shitty thin file case? </em>Levi growled internally.</p><p>He sighed and stared at Erwin. Erwin simply stared back, waiting for Levi to either cave or say he wouldn't do it. They stared at each other in a tense silence for a few minutes before Erwin spoke up. </p><p>"If you don't take the case, no one will ever solve it. I'm swamped as it is with cases that we don't have enough biological information on, you just got off one case and are waiting for another of your level, and if anyone else tried to do it I don't know if I'd trust them enough not to fuck it up. You've gone off on less and solved harder cases with less info than that. I know you're capable of it, Levi." Levi sighed and looked away. </p><p>"Fine. Just don't expect much to come from this. And if I end up being shot at, I'm blaming you." Erwin nodded as Levi stood up to head to the location. </p><p>"Oh, and Levi?" Levi glared back at Erwin, who smiled. </p><p>"Dress casual. If anyone is following the informant, we don't want them thinking that the informant is meeting with the cops." Levi clicked his tongue, turning and stalking out of the room. </p><p>"How long do you think I've been doing this, Sir Puffybrows?" he casually tossed over his shoulder. Erwin rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the files he knew he needed to complete. He heaved a sigh. </p><p>
  <em>We really need to get a forensics scientist. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Levi sat down at a table in the cafe that had been specified. There wasn't anything too important, now all he had to do was wait for the person to show up. He frowned, realizing that the informant hadn't specified a way to tell if they were the cops or not. He internally clicked his tongue, eyes narrowing. </p><p>"Wow, you look like you're about to have an aneurysm," a voice laughed from beside him. He turned and stared at the...<em>person. </em>He wasn't totally sure on the gender. They smoothly slid into the seat across from him and Levi glared at them. He studied them and automatically was disgusted. Their umber colored hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. They wore goggles for glasses and had an eager smile on their face. Their shirt was white but stained with a couple different colors and wrinkled all over. They looked tired, despite their energetic voice. </p><p>"Can I help you?" he growled. They smiled. </p><p>"Yup! There's a certain experiment that I need to tell you about and maybe get some help with." Levi's eyebrow raised a fraction. <em>This </em>was the informant? They didn't seem like someone who'd be involved in human experimentation. </p><p>"Well, what do you need to tell me?" They winced. </p><p>"I'm not sure...if you'll believe unless you see it with your own eyes," they said. He frowned and they slid an SD card over to him. They looked at him and sighed. </p><p>"That was all the files on the experiment I could download without drawing attention. It's basic information like what tests are being run, what has been run, how old they are-"</p><p>"Wait, it's a person?" Levi asked. They winced. </p><p>"Before I tell you anymore, I think we should get introductions over with, yeah? My name is Hanji Zoe. You are?" Levi clicked his tongue in irritation but decided to play along with Hanji.</p><p>"Detective Rivaille." Hanji grinned. </p><p>"Nice to meet you, Rivaille. Now, to answer your previous question," their face became serious, smile fading, "yes, it's a person."</p><p>"Why didn't you just say it was a human experimentation in the email then?" he demanded. Hanji flinched and looked down. A pained expression appeared on their face. </p><p>"Because...they aren't human." Levi sighed. </p><p>"No matter what your superiors told you, they are-"</p><p>"No! You don't understand!" Hanji snapped. Levi paused, eyes scanning over them. Hanji was being serious. It wasn't just that they were repeating what they'd heard, this was genuine. They sincerely believed whoever was being tested on wasn't human. </p><p>"Okay then, enlighten me." Hanji sighed and looked down, absently drawing on the table. </p><p>"He's considered an angel. That's what they put on all his forms for race anyways." Levi opened his mouth to comment on 'how angels didn't exist' but Hanji cut him off. "I know you're going to say that angels don't exist, but you try telling me those wings aren't real. I've seen them bleed. He screams whenever they pull or clip his feathers. I've watched the recordings and seen him move them at will. He has wings <em>growing </em>from his back and according to his files, he was born with them."</p><p>This made Levi pause. An experiment that allowed a human to grow wings from their back, he could believe. It was far fetched but possible. However, being born with wings already developing? That was a little too far. He sighed. </p><p>"Say that he was born with wings. That would have to imply that he was either experimented on in the womb, or one of his parents was also an 'angel' like him." Hanji nodded. </p><p>"His mother was also an angel." Levi's eyes widened. </p><p>"Start talking. Don't try to keep any information from me." Hanji nodded. </p><p>"Twenty years ago the head scientist of the project, a man named Grisha Jaeger, married a woman called Carla Engeltochter. After a year, Grisha found out that his wife was pregnant. At first, he was supposedly going to back out of all the experiments that he was participating in so he could look after his family, but then the baby was born. Apparently Carla had refused to go to the hospital so Grisha had to tend to her during the birth. When he realized that his son had wings, apparently Carla showed him hers. He kept quiet for three years before telling them about his wife and child. Immediately those he knew in the scientific community wanted to capture and study the two. However, when Grisha returned home his wife and child were gone and there was no trace of where they'd headed. He searched and hunted for them for three years before finally catching them. Unfortunately Carla was killed by one of the mercenaries sent to pick her up. As such, Eren's been experimented on since he was six years old. It's been ten years since he was caught." Levi's eyes narrowed. </p><p>"And where do you fall in all this?" he asked. Hanji paused and stared at him, confusion written on their face. </p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Where do you come into this? If you feel so bad for the kid that you'd inform us, why not sooner?" Levi asked. Hanji sighed. </p><p>"I honestly didn't know what I was getting into at the time. An old friend in the science community asked if I needed a job, I did, he offered me one. I took it and they swore me to silence. Once I realized what was going on, I was horrified. I've only been there for two months, I swear. If I'd known sooner I would've informed you before now. However, I had to earn their trust before I could try and get in contact with you." Levi nodded. </p><p>"So you're in danger too?" Hanji nodded. </p><p>"I would say no, but if I get in the way because I'm caught, that could cause problems for you," they said with a grin. Levi stared at them. They seemed the type to smile all the time while thinking about serious things. </p><p>"How badly do you think you're in danger?" he asked. Hanji shrugged, grinning. </p><p>"Right now? Minimal. The only risk I have is that someone sees me with you and then sees you going into work. Then they'll start to put two and two together. Once that happens though...the danger level will be high for both of us. We know too much." Levi nodded. </p><p>"I'll see how soon I can attempt a rescue. You did put the location of the lab in this, right?" he asked, lifting the SD card. Hanji nodded, grinning. </p><p>"I put any information I thought was necessary or might be helpful in there. Hopefully you'll be able to help get him out of there. Otherwise they're going to turn the poor kid into a killer." Levi stared at them in horror. </p><p>"What??" Hanji's eyes darkened. </p><p>"Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to have a natural escape artist become an assassin. After all, if he knows how to fight his way out all he needs to do is fly away once outside. They're trying to train him but he isn't in good condition." Levi stared at them. </p><p>"Why isn't he in good condition?" Hanji sighed. </p><p>"They've been starving him for four months and haven't given him a drop of water for two of those months. It's a miracle he's even alive." Levi stared at her. </p><p>"That should be impossible."</p><p>"I know. And it makes me so excited to think he's lasted that long but I feel sick knowing he's had to suffer that long." Hanji sighed and looked at Levi. </p><p>"Please, just....just help him, okay? I'll pay however much it takes, just get him out of there." Levi nodded. </p><p>"I'll do my best. Also, we don't charge for revealing experiments. After all, they could be dangerous and we especially don't charge money for human experimentation cases." Hanji sighed in relief. </p><p>"Thank goodness. I'll leave you to it then. I need to be back by one and it's already twelve thirty. See you later, Rivaille." With that Hanji stood up and left. Levi waited a few minutes before standing up and heading to his car as well. He drove the long way back to work, just to make sure that he shook off any tails he hadn't noticed. He opened the door and went to Erwin's office. Erwin looked up with a small smile on his face. </p><p>"Well, how was it?" Levi clicked his tongue and inserted the SD card into his computer. </p><p>"It's a human experimentation case." Erwin's smile fell and his eyes became serious. </p><p>"Are you being serious right now?" Erwin asked. Levi nodded. </p><p>"Yeah. But the informant claims that he's actually not human and the kid is a totally different species." Erwin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Levi clicked on the file labelled <strong>WATCH THIS FIRST.</strong></p><p>Erwin came over and together they stared at the screen. At first it was pitch black. </p><p>"Alright, to whichever detective I gave this too, this is one of Eren's most recent experiments. It's a pretty common one. They cut him to pieces and see how long it takes for him to heal. It's...I'll just let you watch it, yeah?" </p><p>With that they stared as the screen gave them a clear view of the kid in front of them. His hair was long enough to fall to his shoulders. His eyes were a dull gold. The most interesting thing for them was the sight of the two black wings, spreading behind him. </p><p>"Wing restrained?" They watched as a machine took hold of the tips of the wings, grasping feathers in it. A soft whimper escaped the boys throat. "Secure!"</p><p>"Good." They stared as one of them picked up a silver scalpel and carried it over to the boy. </p><p>"Which vein should I cut first?" they asked. Another holding a clipboard looked down at it before looking up. </p><p>"It says cut the jugular." Erwin and Levi glanced at each other in horror. They were going to cut the boys <em>throat</em>??</p><p>A gurgling scream was cut off as they dragged the blade deeply through the kids throat. Blood began to freely flow but as they watched, the skin began to seal. It was slow and took longer than they thought it should've, but it healed nonetheless. It didn't even leave a mark. Tears dripped down the boys cheeks and he coughed out blood. </p><p>"How long?"</p><p>"Fifty three point six seconds." There was a chuckle. </p><p>"You're getting slower, Eren," someone commented. They saw the kids eyes flare, brightening. However, none of the scientists paid any mind to that. </p><p>"How long do we have?"</p><p>"We have an hour before they need to take him for training. Let's get as much done as possible." That was where the clip cut off. Erwin and Levi stared at each other. Erwin nodded. </p><p>"Any resources you need to solve this case, use them. Get him out of there and get everyone who was involved behind bars." Levi nodded. He glared at the screen again, glaring at the sight of a kid helplessly bound and bleeding with tears dripping down his cheeks. He would kill whoever had hurt him. Then he paused. </p><p><em>Why do I care so much about this kid? </em>He wondered. He shrugged and left, taking his work home. He would think on it later.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Rescue Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Levi prepares for the operation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Levi glared at the computer screen. Hanji had kindly included the address of the laboratory so they didn't have to worry about finding it. </p><p>"The problem's infiltrating..." he muttered. </p><p>"Sir?" Petra asked. He glanced up and sighed. He glanced around the table. Eld, Gunther, Oluo, Petra, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Erwin were staring at him. The elite group was taking the case. His eyes narrowed as he thought about all of their files. </p><p>Name: Eld Jinn.     Age: 21.     Height: 5' 9 inches.     Weight: 165 lbs.     Birthday: January 30th.</p><p>Profile: Eld is a responsible, firm detective. He has a strong sense of duty and clear ideals about what makes a good detective. He's often scolded Oluo about such. He doesn't talk much but when he does, he is honest and says his mind. This can be a problem on solo missions because he can't bring himself to tell lies to others. He's known to have failed a couple of different cases due to this mistake. </p><p>Operations Solved; Solo: 14. Team: 32.</p><p>Name: Gunther Schultz.     Age: 21.     Height: 5' 10 inches.     Weight: 180 lbs.     Birthday: July 30th.</p><p>Profile: Gunther shows incredible focus and dedication to tasks placed before him. He is known to be stern at times, displaying his annoyance and irritation at his comrades when they horse around. He is also incredibly reasonable. He prefers to think things through before taking action, occasionally leading to his making mistakes due to having to adjust almost instantly after overthinking things. </p><p>Operations Solved; Solo: 7. Team: 40.</p><p>Name: Oluo Bozado.     Age: 20.    Height: 5' 6 inches.     Weight: 134 lbs.     Birthday: January 6th. </p><p>Profile: Oluo is self confident and outspoken. He often boasts about his own skills to newer recruits, occasionally biting his tongue while doing so. He is known to be obnoxious and often attempts to copy Levi's speech, putting him at odds with Petra. However, despite his annoying personality, he is known to be incredibly focused and disciplined in battle. He is incredibly dedicated to something once he's decided on it. </p><p>Operations Solved; Solo: 39. Team: 9.</p><p>Name: Petra Ral.    Age: 20.     Height: 5' 1 inch.     Weight: 121 lbs.     Birthday: December 6th.</p><p>Profile: Petra is known for admiring Levi, although he's made it quite clear to her that the feeling is not returned. She is gentle and caring, particularly towards her squad. She is extremely loyal towards her superiors and squad. She has a quick reaction time to perceived danger which is a double edged blade in her case. She reacts too quickly without always thinking a situation through. There have been a couple of times where this sort of quick reaction has had severe consequences during missions. </p><p>Operations Solved; Solo: 10. Team: 48.</p><p>Name: Erwin Smith.     Age: 37.     Height: 6' 2 inches.     Weight: 202 lbs.     Birthday: October 14th.</p><p>Profile: Erwin is a complex man, always calculating and planning ahead. He is an incredible planner and figures out how to solve most cases he's put on. He is an eloquent speaker and thus is able to sway most people to his side. He is often the figurehead of their organization, even if it was formed before he was even born. He's incredibly stoic and accepts all information with the same serious look. Whether it's good news or bad, Erwin adapts as needed. </p><p>Operations Solved; Solo: 39. Team: 51.</p><p>"Sir?" Petra repeated. Levi glanced up and sighed. </p><p>"Alright. I've already sent the files to all of you, I assume you've looked over them?" Levi asked. They nodded and Jean sighed. </p><p>"Why are we making so much fuss about this kid? He's not even human," Oluo sighed. </p><p>"Oluo!" Petra scolded. Levi glared at Oluo. </p><p>"Because, you idiot, if they succeed with figuring him out then they'll move into phase two and test their creations on humans. Then it will really become human experimentation. You really think this is the first time a case like this has occurred?" Levi growled. Oluo flinched. Levi sighed. </p><p>"The biggest problem with these guys is their security. Our informant described them as 'men in black with masks' and couldn't get any information on them. However, according to recordings of the kids' training sessions with one of them, we are dealing with professionals. They know their way around a gun and a blade as well as their fists. They are incredibly dangerous. Our informant has recorded seeing at least twelve of them. However, they aren't sure if there are more of them or not." Erwin nodded. </p><p>"So the big deal is we don't know how many of them there are or how skilled they are." Levi nodded. </p><p>"We're basically going in blind when it comes to their defenses. Are you all prepared for that? We'll have two other squads working on infiltrating their other entrances." They glanced around before Eld laughed. </p><p>"We've gone in to other missions with less. Let's go!" Levi nodded. </p><p>"We'll go in tomorrow at five sharp. Be ready." They nodded and with that the meeting was over. Levi glanced over at Erwin. </p><p>"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Erwin smiled. </p><p>"Relax. They're the elite squad. Besides, I'm also curious to see how this kid could fit into society with his oddities." Levi stared at Erwin before shaking his head with a sigh. Why had he thought that Erwin had finally developed a heart?</p><p>"Oh yeah, Levi, about the informant."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"They're one of the researchers, yes? Do you think they'd be willing to accept a job from us if I offered them one?" Levi frowned. </p><p>"They might," he said with a shrug. He turned and walked away, choosing to rest as much as possible before the mission. He lay in bed, thinking about the kid. Levi could clearly remember his own period of starvation, but nothing like what the kid had gone through. Just remembering the images where he could see the kids ribs gave him the shivers. </p><p>He forced himself to shut his eyes and fall into a sleep full of nightmares of his past.</p><p> </p><p>The squad sat in the car waiting for Erwin to give the signal to start the operation. As soon as he did, the burst out of the car. Eld kicked down the door, revealing a group of shocked scientists. Their eyes widened and they scrambled to run. </p><p>"Sound the alarm!" One of them screamed. They quickly took them down and restrained them, but soon the black suits appeared. Levi glared at them and narrowly dodged a blade from one of them. One wearing a gas mask came up. </p><p>"Rivaille?" he asked in surprise. Levi glared. </p><p>"Why am I not surprised that you're here, Zagan?" Levi hissed. He could almost see the smug bastards smirk behind the mask. </p><p>"It's been a while, Rivaille. i still haven't repaid you for what you did to my face. I guess now's the time," Zagan growled. Levi rolled his eyes and shifted his grip on his gun. </p><p>"Yeah sure, if you think you can, bring it on." Zagan shot at Levi before running forward and slashing at him. Levi leaped back and fired back, aiming at Zagan's legs. Zagan cried out when he actually hit him. Levi took the chance and spun on one foot, slamming his knee against Zagan's head. Zagan crumpled and Levi immediately pinned him, disarming him and tying his arms behind his back. Immediately Levi moved on to his next opponent, easily kicking their asses. After all, he'd done it before and their fighting styles were familiar. </p><p>Actually it was harder to stop himself from killing them. </p><p>He ignored that in favor of restraining everyone he came across. Finally he found the control room. Everyone there was already focused on someone else. Levi fired his gun at their feet. Several of them cried out and they turned towards him. </p><p>"Everyone put your hands in the air!" he shouted. </p><p>"Fuck! They're already here!" one of them screamed. </p><p>
  <em>No shit, dipshit.</em>
</p><p>The other squads blocked the other two exits so everyone was trapped inside. Levi's eyes flicked over the crowd until he saw a reddish brown pony tail surrounded by the crowd of people. </p><p>"Hanji! Get your ass over here now," he ordered. Immediately they slipped through the crowd to his side. They had a cut lip and a couple bruises forming on their face. </p><p>"Sorry, they found out about what I'd done a few minutes before you showed up." Levi nodded. The others stared at them as they restrained the remaining scientists. </p><p>"Levi...who's this?" Erwin asked. Levi glanced at Erwin. </p><p>"Erwin, this is Hanji our informant. Hanji, this is Erwin Smith." Hanji grinned and held out their hand to him. </p><p>"Nice to meet you! Thanks for the save!" Erwin smiled. </p><p>"Nice to meet you too. Thank you for the information." Hanji grinned. </p><p>"Oh yeah, you're here for Eren, right? I'll take you to his cell. Just...don't be surprised by anything you see." Erwin and Levi followed Hanji down a brightly lit hall until they stopped in front of a completely ordinary wall. They reached over and typed in a passcode on the wall. They watched as it opened and Levi looked in. His eyes widened at the sight. </p><p>The kid was paler than Levi would've thought. His eyes were a dull yellow brown. His brown hair hung almost to his shoulders. His shirt and pants were stained with blood, most likely his own. His wings fluttered, pulling around his small form. He stared at them before pushing himself into the corner. Levi also noticed that the kid had some strange green slime on his hands. </p><p>Levi walked in, towards the kid. He crouched down in front of him, noticing how the kid was shaking. </p><p>"Nice to meet you, I'm Levi. We're here to save you. Do you mind telling me your name?" he asked. </p><p>Normally he'd leave the talking to Erwin but he felt a special connection to this kid. Eren stared at his hand before looking back up at him. </p><p>"Are you...are you really here to save me?" he asked. Levi nodded. </p><p>"You're going to be safe now, kid." Eren looked up. </p><p>"Not kid...my name it's...Eren." Levi smiled and patted the kids head. </p><p>"Nice to meet you, Eren."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Freedom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren's out. He's escaped them. But...</p><p>is he really free?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Eren woke up, he was confused. It was...dark where he was. That was strange. Usually his room was never dark. Not unless there was a black out. It was also really soft underneath him. And he had a warm, thick blanket on top of him? He frowned and looked around. His eyes quickly adjusted, pupils widening to take in the tiny amount of light. </p><p>Most of which seemed to be coming from underneath a door. In the dark it appeared black, although Eren assumed it would probably be a dark brown. There was a golden handle on his side which glinted slightly in the faint light. That was unusual. He didn't have a handle on his side of his cell door. Maybe they'd had to change his room?</p><p>Eren stood and glanced at himself. He was wearing a dark green shirt with two neat cuts in the back to allow his wings through. His pants were loose fitting and sat on his hips. They flared at the cuffs and were tight around his thighs. His feet were bare and, more surprising than the fact that he was wearing something not white, he was clean. He couldn't feel the sensation of dried blood tugging and itching at his skin. His wings felt cleaned of the stuff too. He shivered, realizing that someone had touched his wings while he slept and he hadn't woken up. </p><p>
  <em>Where am I? How did I get here?</em>
</p><p>Eren paused, thinking about what he last remembered. He was in the facility and then...</p><p>Right!</p><p>The new people had come. He hadn't seen them before but they said they were here to help him. And the black haired one actually came up to him. The raven with steel eyes...Eren felt like he should know him. Had he seen him before? Eren paused, frowning and shutting his eyes as he tried to recall meeting the man before that time. However, he couldn't remember anything. He knew the man was a complete stranger so why did he feel so safe with him? Eren shrugged, choosing to ignore his strange feelings. Maybe he felt like that because he wasn't used to people trying to help him.</p><p>He went to the door and slowly pushed it open, allowing his eyes to adjust to the lights in the hallway. They weren't bright but they were bright enough that it was mildly uncomfortable until his eyes adjusted from the near darkness to sudden light. It was coming from windows with light gray curtains in front of them. He pushed one aside and looked out. He could see an entire garden below him, bathed in the pale blue light of morning before the sun had risen. He pushed at the windows and found them locked. Eren sighed in annoyance.</p><p>
  <em>Still locked in a cage, huh.</em>
</p><p>He shook his head before turning to face the empty hallways. Eren sucked in a deep breath before stepping forward to explore. He wandered through the empty halls of this strange, unfamiliar place. </p><p>Most of the rooms were empty of life, only a few furnishings displaying the fact that they were used. He frowned and walked until he found a large staircase, leading down. His eyes brightened and he fluttered his wings, lifting himself onto the banister. He made sure he was balanced before sliding down the spiral. He nearly laughed but he didn't. He wasn't totally comfortable yet. </p><p>He hopped off at the bottom and slipped forward. He could hear voices talking so he peered in a room. </p><p>"You worked with him, yes?" a big man with blonde hair asked another figure. The second figure shrugged. </p><p>"I read his files but I had neither direct contact with him nor any say on the tests that were run." Eren shivered his eyes widening. This was a scientist! Had this whole thing been a trap? Did they just want to run different tests on him?</p><p>"Any clue as to why they were doing it?" the blonde man asked. The figure nodded. </p><p>"He has increased abilities. He's stronger than a normal human, when he's not starved he can move faster, basically he's superior to humans." Eren heard someone click their tongue. </p><p>"If he was superior, how'd he get caught?" the voice was rich and melodic. Instantly Eren found himself relaxing and wishing that person would talk more. </p><p>"Oh be nice, Levi. He was six when they caught him. It was a surprise attack. There wasn't much he could do anyway." The person Eren couldn't see clicked his tongue. </p><p>"Fucking assholes, experimenting on a child. Hey, Hanji, have you finished identifying all the scientists?" Eren blinked, confused. Why would they want to do that? What would identifying them do?</p><p>"Yup! I've discovered all of their names, lifestyles, philosophies, and where they live!" the scientist cheered. Eren blinked in shock. It seemed surprising to the big blonde man too. </p><p>"When did you start that?" he asked. The scientist laughed. </p><p>"I wasn't totally sure when you guys would be coming but I figured you'd want that kind of information. So I started getting to know everyone and finding things out about them. I'll admit, with a couple of them I had to go a little bit stalkerish, but I figured the information would help." The blonde man chuckled. </p><p>"You really are more suited to being a detective than a scientist."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"I mean I want to offer you a job. Not only as a detective but as our forensic scientist. We've had trouble keeping one recently. They all seem to back off when they realize the exact details of the job. If you don't want to, I understand-"</p><p>"I'll do it!" the scientist cheered. The blonde man seemed surprised again. </p><p>"Really? You aren't going to ask any questions?" The scientist -Hanji- laughed. </p><p>"Well, I am currently out of a job and if anyone finds out what I did with the last people I worked with, it's going to get a lot harder to find something I enjoy doing. Besides, forensic science is something that I've always been curious about! I hope you'll let me!" the blonde chuckled again. </p><p>"You certainly are eager. Well then, welcome to the Survey Corps, Hanji." He held out his hand and Hanji eagerly shook it. </p><p>"Pleasure to be here!" </p><p>There was a slight pause before the smooth voice spoke again. </p><p>"Speaking of the experiment, shouldn't we check on the kid? I'm a tad worried about that last fainting spell." Eren's face flushed red when he realized what the man was saying. </p><p>
  <em>I passed out??? Oh my gosh that's so embarrassing!!</em>
</p><p>"He'll probably be slightly anemic for a few days. They were draining him of his blood basically every day. Honestly, it's a miracle he's survived this long even with his superhuman abilities!" Hanji laughed. </p><p>"You seem very amused by all this," the low voice growled. Hanji paused in their laughter. </p><p>"I'm not. I think I'm slightly hysterical right now, although I can't figure out why. I haven't had anything to drink, not to mention I'm not hurt or anything." The person he couldn't see sighed. </p><p>"Somehow I think you're always like that. Anyways, I'm gonna check on the kid."</p><p>Eren, lost in the magical voice, didn't think about what the man had said until right before the door was opened. His eyes flicked up and his was shocked. It was the raven haired man from yesterday! Now that Eren got a closer look at him, he was gorgeous. Pale skin that contrasted nicely with his black hair, hair styled in a military undercut, and those <em>eyes. </em>Steel flecked with a couple of crystal blue specks. They were narrowed but it gave him a cold, disciplined type of attitude. </p><p>"Oh, you're already up. Why didn't you knock?" he asked. Eren looked down. </p><p>"I'm...not used to being able to wander around. I thought you would be mad at me," he murmured. He hadn't actually been thinking that but he didn't care as long as the raven wasn't upset with him. </p><p>"Oh. Sorry, we shouldn't have left you alone." The raven patted his head and Eren's eyes widened. The mans hands were smooth and warm, delicate fingers carding through Eren's hair. His eyes shut and if he could, he would've purred with pleasure. As it was, he practically fell into the mans arms. He blushed red as the man scooped him up. </p><p>"Easy there. You're a little anemic so take it easy." Eren melted in the warm embrace, suddenly feeling safer than he ever had been, even when he was with his mom. He rested his head against the mans sturdy chest. His wings fluttered a bit before relaxing. </p><p>
  <em>I'm safe here. I don't need to worry, I'm safe.</em>
</p><p>"He really seems to like you, Levi!" Eren jolted as a...<em>person? </em>thrust their face in front of his. His wings snapped up, flicking them with the tips. They yelped and pulled back, a couple of cuts lining their cheeks. "Ow!"</p><p>"Are you alright, Hanji?" the big blonde man asked, hurrying over. They nodded. </p><p>"I'm fine! Oh my gosh, this is incredible! His feathers are sharp!" The man who was holding him - Levi - stared at them. </p><p>"What're you talking about, shitty glasses? His wings are softer than silk." Eren felt a blush rise to his cheeks and his feathers fluttered a bit. The scientist stared in shock. </p><p>"OH MY GOSH, LOOK AT HIS WINGS!!" they screeched. Immediately, Eren's wings snapped against his back, hiding them from view. Levi sighed and sat down, running a hand through Eren's hair as he adjusted the boy. Eren shifted until he was laying his head on Levi's lap while his wings were neatly folded against his back facing the back of the couch.</p><p>"What about his wings, shitty glasses?" Levi growled, still running a hand through Eren's hair. Eren sighed and relaxed further, letting his wings loosen up. </p><p>"They're turning gold and silver!" Hange shrieked. Eren stared at her in annoyance. </p><p>
  <em>Too loud...go away.</em>
</p><p>He yawned and snuggled closer to Levi. Levi leaned over to look at his wings better. </p><p>"No they aren't, what are you talking about? You're hallucinating now." He went back to his sitting position and Eren placed his head next to Levi's hand. The soothing stroking began again, slowly but gently sliding warm fingers through his hair. Levi must've been a professional masseuse because the way he could scratch and rub at Eren's head was putting the boy to sleep. Slowly but surely Eren's eyes drifted shut and for the first time in years, he fell asleep peacefully. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Discussions and Awakening #2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hanji, Erwin, and Levi talk about their next moves and later Levi and Eren have a little bit of bonding. A little bit.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I didn’t hallucinate, Levi!” Hange pouted. Erwin sighed and glared at the both of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you just quit it? It doesn’t matter if his wings changed color or not,” he said irritably. Hange pouted again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Erwin, it could mean something! What if his wings change color to display emotion or something?” They whined. Erwin sighed and rubbed between his eyebrows, probably regretting hiring Hange. He glanced at Levi for help but Levi just shook his head, eyes screaming a message: you brought this on yourself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hange, leave the poor boy alone. Besides, if they did change color to represent emotion, then why hadn’t they ever changed back when he was in the oh so caring hands of his father and those researchers?” Erwin asked. Hange frowned, pondering over it before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you’re probably right. But I still think they did change.” Levi decided to spare Erwin and change the topic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just want to know how many more are like him out in the world. And how they integrate themselves so flawlessly with society. You’d think they’d stick out more, hiding wings under their clothes. They should look like there’s something wrong with their backs, right? So how do they hide it so seamlessly?” Hange grinned as they turned to look at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a theory about that! My guess is that it’s similar to when women bind their breasts to emphasize them or to flatten them and make them seem smaller. Don’t ask me why they’d do that, it’s just what happens. I think they have a method of binding their wings to their backs in order to hide them, thus appearing like normal humans! What impressed me is how they still hide, even in the situations they shouldn’t have been able to! I mean, Grisha didn’t even know his wife had wings until his son was born with them!” Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll admit it is kind of strange but it’s not like we have anyone else we can ask.” Hange paused, thinking things over before their eyes lit up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I may know someone who knows something. But we’ll have to be careful about how we ask him, he has this super protective girlfriend who will tear apart anyone she thinks looks at him wrong.” Erwin raised an eyebrow. Levi stared at them as he continued stroking Eren’s hair. His hands slowly drifted until he was stroking Eren’s wings, which took significantly longer to heal than his other wounds, so he could still see where those bastards had cruelly clipped his wings. It disgusted Levi to think that anyone would want to bind a beautiful creature like Eren to the ground when he was so clearly meant to fly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to check out your lead, Hange, but we’ll only do so when Eren is awake for it. Which means we probably need to keep you separated from him as you’ll only tire him out and then we also need to make sure that he and Levi can’t cuddle. If they do, I think that Eren may fall asleep before we even reach your potential lead.” Hange snickered and Levi glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not my fault he’s so attached to me. I can’t help that. I don’t even know why he’s so interested in me,” he hissed. Eren twitched in his sleep and immediately Levi was looking down at him, concerned. He gently stroked Eren’s hair as he began to whimper in his sleep. The other two in the room watched with raised eyebrows, completely unsurprised by his reaction, even though he claimed he wasn’t that close with the brat. Levi glanced up at his observers and glared. “Shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t say anything, Levi,” Erwin commented. Hange snickered and Levi glared at them. He sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to put the brat to bed so he’ll be ready for his outing when he wakes up.” With that Levi carried Eren to his room. He gently put the kid in his bed and tucked him under the blankets. For a moment Levi paused and stared at Eren’s wings. He smiled to himself and reached out to stroke them. Eren shifted in his sleep, shifting so he gently grabbed Levi’s hand. He rubbed his cheek against it and Levi smiled a little. He delicately pulled his hand away, struggling to ignore Eren’s sad whine. He went back to where Hanji was waiting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, who’s this friend of yours?” He asked. Hanji grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so glad you asked, Levi! His name is Armin Arlert and he studies ancient religions!” Erwin raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How does that help us?” Hanji pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He knows a lot about the mythologies of several different civilizations and has actually mentioned how odd it seems that a lot of them have ‘angels’ or humans with bird wings. I believe that he may be able to give us more input on relatively where they came from or where they originated from. Once we figure that out, then we can look into finding out more about Eren’s history and how to hide it.” Erwin hesitantly nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, since we don’t have any other leads, let’s go with that. We might be able to find something about his family or at least figure out how to hide his wings.” Hanji laughed and stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When do we go?” They asked. Erwin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d recommend asking your friend if we can come over and discuss something first. We aren’t just going to show up and start interrogating him about his research,” he sighed. Hanji just laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? That’s what I do every time I visit him!” Levi sighed and glanced at Erwin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can already tell she's crazy.” Hanji pouted at Levi and smacked his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be nice, Levi! I’m the only one who knows Armin well enough to get him to talk!” Levi clicked his tongue as Hanji cackled. Erwin sighed and Levi glanced at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi, how’s Eren?” Levi snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For someone who went through years of torture he’s doing well, particularly around us. Most people would be suspicious of new people. Aside from Hanji he’s adjusting fine.” Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time he wakes up, try to get some food in him. We don’t want him to end up passing out from starvation.” Levi nodded and Hanji grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of, it's incredible that he managed to last as long as he did! Not to mention that slime he was producing when we brought him out!” They said eagerly. Erwin glanced at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you take a sample of the slime?” He asked. Hanji grinned and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! It’s incredible, really! I have no clue where he managed to get the nutrients necessary to produce it, but he managed to create a slime that was high in proteins and carbohydrates!” Erwin glanced up, surprised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So in other words…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was producing his own food! And it’s not documented on any form that I saw, so I believe that the other researchers don’t know about this ability!” Erwin nodded slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any idea how he produced it?” He asked. Hanji shook their head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. With the amount of carbs and proteins in it, if he was producing it the way a normal human would – if we could, mind you – then he should’ve been losing more proteins and carbs, this rendering the whole point of it useless. I actually think that he may have been using leftover materials that his body couldn’t normally process and turned them into something he could use.” Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s an interesting theory, Hanji. We’ll see how accurate it is eventually, I’m sure. I only wonder if Eren himself is aware of what he did.” Hanji tapped their lip thoughtfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they noticed that the slime could be eaten, but I highly doubt that he was aware that he was producing it. I think he just thought it was another one of his abilities.” Erwin nodded. He glanced at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am extremely curious of just what exactly Eren is capable of. We know he’s stronger than the average man when he’s not even trying by just what else can he do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Levi said. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings again. He was back in the room again but this time he at least knew better than to try and wander around. He’d just get lost. As he was thinking the door opened and he looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey kid, you’re awake again.” Eren relaxed when he saw who it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Thanks for getting me out of...that place,” Eren said with a small smile. Levi nodded and set the tray over Eren’s lap. There was only a small roll on it but it was fresh and smelled heavenly to the child who hadn’t seen food in what felt like forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat. You need more than this, but we can’t risk making you sick from eating too much too soon. Trust me, it’s not fun to do that after you’ve been starving for a long time.” Eren nodded and forced himself to take slow, measured bites. Tears budded in his eyes when the texture hit his tongue. It was soft and fluffy and warm. Levi’s eyes widened when he saw the brat start to cry. “Shit. You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...It’s just been...so long since I actually ate anything. And...when they did feed me...it was old and moldy...and hard...and I hated it,” Eren dissolved as his sniffles escalated into full fledged crying. Levi stared at him for a moment before pulling him against him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re okay now brat. You’re away from them and we’re going to find a way to reintegrate you into society. Okay?” Eren nodded slowly and Levi passed him a handkerchief so he could blow his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” They sat there in silence as Eren finished eating his roll. When he finished, Eren rubbed his stomach with a contented sigh. Levi almost smiled at the sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Full?” he asked. Eren nodded. His smile fell a moment later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s sad to think that a tiny </span>
  <em>
    <span>roll </span>
  </em>
  <span>fills me up now but I suppose there’s not much I can do to change that.” Levi gently reached out and stroked Eren’s hair. Eren glanced up at him for a moment and then back down. Out of annoyance and because the silence was putting him on edge, Levi began to tug on Eren’s hair as he ruffled it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Eren said, glancing up at Levi. Even if the man didn’t smile or anything, there was a playful light in his eyes. Oddly enough, he reminded Eren of a cat. Where a lot of their emotion was expressed in their eyes and they were kind of hard to read. “So...are you my caretaker or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi snorted. “Something like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we going to do now?” Levi glanced down at the boy and released his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to look into your past and try to figure out how the hell others like you managed to stay hidden. Then we’re going to try to get them to teach you and you’ll be able to reenter society.” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But how are we going to do that exactly?” he asked. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shitty glasses may have a lead for us to follow. As soon as you’re good to go and able to relatively stand on your own two feet, we’ll head out.” Eren’s feathers lifted, making his wings appear more fluffy and bigger than they already were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can already stand on my own two feet!” he protested indignantly. Levi smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True. So, shall we go tell the others?” Immediately Eren’s feathers smoothed and flattened and Eren looked confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you meant like right now? Now, right now?” he asked for clarification. Levi snorted as he stared at the boy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I certainly didn’t mean in five years or some shit. Yes, right now.” Eren paused and nodded slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hanji takes them all on a little trip to visit a friend she thinks might be able to help them with Eren.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Levi raised an eyebrow at the brat. Eren shifted on the bed and frowned for a moment before looking back up at Levi in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we’re gonna go, you need to get up. I know you can walk so it shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>hard right?” Eren blushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...but I suddenly can’t feel anything below my waist. It’s not-not numb or anything, I just...can’t feel it?” Levi’s eyebrow crept steadily higher as he listened to the boy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So let me get this straight. You can’t feel it but it’s not numb either? Are they asleep?” Eren shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that they send pins and needles through them when I move them, I just can’t move them. Like at all.” Eren stared helplessly at Levi. Levi sighed and stared down at Eren before yanking the covers back, exposing the rest of Eren. Eren yelped at the sudden exposure to cold air but simply stared up at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let’s do this.” Eren squeaked as Levi slid his lean, muscled arms under Eren’s frail body. As soon as he had Eren in his arms, Levi lifted Eren up. Immediately Eren’s hands whipped up to latch around Levi’s shoulders as he desperately hung onto him. Levi stared at him for a moment. “You know, you don’t have to be so scared. I’m not going to drop you. And even if I did you have wings. You can literally catch yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Sorry, you just surprised me,” Eren murmured, pressing his head against Levi’s chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately he had a single thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuuuuck, I should not have done that. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The reason for this thought was that Levi had adjusted to carry Eren closer and more securely against him, pinning Eren in a way that pressed him firmly against Levi’s incredibly muscled body. Each little twitch Levi made caused his muscles to shift, rippling under his skin. Eren turned bright red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-you can put me d-down, Levi. Y-you don’t h-have to carry m-me,” he stuttered. Levi raised an eyebrow but carefully tilted Eren in his arms and set him on his feet. Eren wavered for a moment before his legs decided to collapse on him. With a very un-manly yelp Eren fell forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Straight into Levi’s arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren blushed as Levi sighed and scooped him up into his arms again. Levi glanced down at the brat, noting how his wings seemed to shift and...shimmer? Oddly enough there were hints of gold and silver in his feathers. He wondered if this was what Hanji had seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Idiot. You’re still anemic and haven’t recovered a lot of blood. Honestly it’s a mystery how you managed to get yourself up last time and find us.” Eren looked at his lap in embarrassment. Levi sighed and begged him up, protectively curling the boy to his chest before walking through the open door, leaving the tray to pick up later. Even though all of his instincts reminded him that there was a fucking tray wi  Th crumbs all over it just sitting on a messy bed, Levi ignored them. Instead he focused on getting Eren to where the others were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped by the door and frowned when Eren did absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna open the door or are just going to stare at it until someone magically senses us out here?” Eren blushed further. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, s-sorry!” He reached out and then the door clicked open. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need to worry because Hanji is here and I have incredible magical senses!” Hanji said as they grinned at them. They raised an eyebrow when they saw the way Levi was holding Eren. “What’s this? Levi, the prince in shining armor holding the delicate, angelic princess?” They snickered as Eren turned bright pink and hid his face. “Don’t worry Eren, I’m just messing with you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tch. Are you going to let us in or not?” Levi hissed, eyes stabbing Hanji. They laughed as they stepped aside and opened the door completely. Erwin raised an eyebrow when he saw their position but didn’t comment on it to Eren’s relief. “Fucking finally, you shitty four eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, you’re so mean Levi! I just wanted to see if you could find a way to open the door without the use of your hands!” They cackled. Levi glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was a way I could’ve. But I don’t think eyebrows would’ve appreciated that,” he growled. Hanji tilted their head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? And what was that?” Levi glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could’ve kicked the door down. But again, I don’t think eyebrows would appreciate that.” Erwin nodded as Hanji stared at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, for not doing that Levi. I’d rather not have to replace a broken door because you kicked it down.” Levi nodded and glared at Hanji. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Though I’m beginning to wish I had, maybe I would’ve kicked it into your stupid face.” Hanji cackled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to see you try! That door’s three inches of solid mahogany!” They laughed. Levi’s gaze darkened and he set Eren down on a nearby couch before heading towards the door. Immediately Erwin got between Levi and his targeted inanimate object. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanji, don’t encourage him. I know perfectly well that Levi can kick down a three inch mahogany door. Hell, he could kick down a five inch mahogany door but we don’t make them that thick.” Hanji pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh come on, Erwin! It would be so funny to watch that!” They snickered. They studied Levi. “But I don’t understand. To have the muscle mass to be able to kick down that door in his frame…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi glared at them and they quickly snapped their mouth shut. Erwin smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, we should start going, Hanji, would you lead us to this mysterious friend of yours?” Erwin asked. Hanji grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With pleasure!” They said eagerly. “I will warn you though, it may be a challenge to actually get inside the house.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder why. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as Hanji and some other girl played a strange form of tug of war. The girl kept pushing against the door on her side, attempting to keep Hanji out while Hanji pressed with all their might against the door, attempting to open it. Hanji grinned the whole time while the other girl simply glared at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why hello, Mikasa! Care to let me in? I have some things I want to pick Armin’s brain about.” The girl just kept pressing against the door, even trying to press harder after Hanji spoke their question. Hanji frowned. “Eren, can you come help me, darling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think he’s going to do, shitty four eyes? The brat can barely walk on his own.” Even as Levi said this, he carefully set Eren down next to the door. Eren glanced between Levi and Hanji, debating what he should do. Eventually he shrugged and joined Hanji in their attempt to press the door open. It practically flew open with their combined strength, the only reason it didn’t smack into Mikasa’s forehead was because Eren caught it at the last second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah! Sorry!” He said. His body decided that right then seemed to be a good moment to collapse. He fell forward, attempting to dodge her and instead he crashed to the ground. There was a sharp snapping noise and Eren bit back a whimper. Immediately Levi was at his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren?! Are you alright?” He demanded. Eren weakly nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. I just landed wrong.” Hanji and Erwin flinched at the sight of Eren’s hand. It seemed the wrist bone had broken, fragile after months of starvation. They watched as Eren delicately gripped the limp hand and straightened it, grimacing as the bone reset itself and healed in moments. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” The girl, Mikasa, asked. She was clearly concerned and Eren threw her a small, pained smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, thanks for asking. Are you alright? I almost fell on you.” Mikasa nodded shyly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I thought I heard something snap?” The others stared at Eren as his eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Something snapped? I didn’t hear anything.” He tried to play it off but sadly for him, Mikasa was too observant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your ears are turning red. Are you sure nothing happened?” Sure enough, Eren’s ears had turned red. But Mikasa had made a mistake by focusing on Eren and Hanji made their move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An opening!” They cried, diving past Mikasa into the house. They rolled on the landing and were up in an instant. “Armin! You home?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tch.” Mikasa clicked her tongue before lunging after Hanji who nearly dodged. “Why are you here, you science freak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanna ask Armin some questions. That’s all!” They cackled evilly and while Mikasa was distracted by Hanji, the others all entered the house after them. Mikasa glanced back at them and sighed before turning back to Hanji. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armin is busy studying right now, you can’t see him!” Mikasa hissed. Hanji giggles as they dodged her grasping hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armin~! My cute little coconut! Where are you~?” Hanji called as they bolted up the stairs. Mikasa snagged their ankle at the last minute and prevented them from going upstairs. Mikasa was practically desperate at this point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>messy upstairs! You can’t go up there!” Hanji chuckled. They stared at Mikasa. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>! I’m sure it can’t phase me, whatever it is you don’t want me to see! Besides, I know you don’t stand filth, Mikasa, so there’s no way you’d let it be messy!” They attempted to pull their foot from Mikasa’s grasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-Hanji? What are you doing here??” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They glanced at the top of the stairs where a small blonde with cornflower blue eyes appeared. His hair was cut in a bob style, tips brushing his chin. His eyes were wide and almost afraid. Hanji smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why hell</span>
  <em>
    <span>o</span>
  </em>
  <span>, my adorable mushroom! Can you talk with us?” Armin jumped onto the railing and slid past the two on the stairs. He hopped off at the bottom and glanced back at them. Mikasa let go of Hanji’s foot and joined Armin at the bottom. Hanji cackled, clearly glad to have gotten their way while skipping into the living room. Armin turned to follow but his eyes widened when he caught sight of Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He froze and Eren stiffened. They heard a ripping noise and Eren’s wings tore through his shirt. Eren hissed at Armin, a sharp noise. Armin flinched but began to circle Eren. As he did, Armin began to unbutton his shirt, before sliding it off completely. The others watched in awe as he began unwrapping something on his chest and stomach. They watched as tan wings with light grey speckles extended from his back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit.” Hanji whipped out their phone and began recording the confrontation between the two. Eren flared his wings, and they were shocked to see his wings again hints of red. Armin folded his wings back and tilted his head back, exposing his throat to Eren. Eren snarled and stepped closer to Armin. The smaller angel stopped moving and tilted his head back. Eren leaned forward and practically pressed his light against Armins throat. Armin held still although they could tell he was nervous being around Eren. Armin stepped back and snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you done?” Armin asked. Eren nodded and Armin sighed in relief. Then he froze and slowly turned around to face the others behind him. Mikasa had her hand against her face, sighing in exasperation. Levi and Erwin were frozen in surprise. Hanji on the other hand was eagerly studying Armin’s every move. Armin hung his head, avoiding Hanji’s gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armin? Can we talk?” Hanji asked, practically drooling. Armin sighed and nodded but before anyone made any further moves, Mikasa grabbed Hanji's shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you try to involve my brother in some kind of horrible experiment, I will make you regret it. Do you understand, you four eyed bitch?” She hissed. Hanji laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, sweetheart! I just wanted to ask Armin about some things about his culture. After all, we rescued Eren there and we wanted to try to help him reintegrate into society.” Mikasa hesitantly pulled back but Eren glanced between her and Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re siblings?” He asked. Mikasa and Armin glanced at each other before Hanji decided to clarify. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re adopted! Mikasa was adopted into the Arlert family and she just kind of attached herself to Armin! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Armin without Mikasa nearby! Now come on, sit, sit!” Armin sighed but reluctantly sat down on the couch. Eren perched himself on a nearby armchair. Levi sat on the loveseat and Hanji practically collapsed onto his lap. He hissed in irritation but they only snickered, still staring at Armin. Mikasa sat protectively next to Armin, glaring at Erwin when he attempted to sit next to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Armin, how is it you’ve managed to hide your wings? Do you often use them as a method of travel? Do you collect in groups or are all of you more solo type birds?” Armin leaned back under the torrent of their questions. Mikasa glared at them. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, shitty four eyes, are you going to let him answer your questions? Or are you just going to keep firing them at him like a fucking machine gun?” Hanji twisted around to pout at Levi who merely rolled his eyes. Armin sighed in relief, nodding his thanks to Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well...we’re an interesting species. I hide my wings through a difficult binding method. By tying them to my back with gauze or something that mimics my skin tone I can manage to hide my wings in normal circumstances.” Hanji nodded eagerly, jotting everything down in their notebook. Their eyes were firmly glued on Armin, even as their pencil kept scratching across the paper. It was mildly annoying to Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about in circumstances where that wouldn’t work?” They asked. Armin paused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean like s-sex??” His face turned pink and Erwin chuckled softly. Mikasa glared at him before twisting her body to block Armin from Erwin’s view. Erwin frowned and Levi raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Hanji said eagerly, leaning forward. Armin blushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well...usually we only have sex with someone we trust enough to have revealed our wings to. Usually someone like Mikasa who you’ve been close to most of your life or someone who is also the same species.” Hanji paused, frowning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you’d never revealed your wings to them? How would you have sex then?” Hanji asked. Armin blushed before glancing at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um…does he have something to do with that?” Eren flinched and looked away from Armin. Leí glared at Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just answer the question, kid.” Mikasa glared at Levi but he simply glared back until she looked away. Hanji glanced between Levi and Mikasa, grinning before looking back at Armin expectantly. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It...it shouldn’t be possible to have sex with a human who hasn’t seen your wings. Not unless you’re one of the elites and those are extremely rare.” Hanji began drooling into their lap again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elites? How are these elites different?” Hanji asked. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elites are...like the rest of us when it comes to most things but elites are stronger, faster, and have larger wings than us. Another obvious feature is that elites each have a unique ability.” Hanji raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unique ability?” They asked. Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The abilities are usually classified in two classes, both of which break into other categories. The main two groups are fighter and supporter. Fighters are obvious. They are built for combat. It has five smaller classes: swords, spears, bows, guns, and shields. The supporter class has five classes: healer, alchemist, mage, enchanter, and merchant.” Hanji eagerly scribbled each group on their own page in the notebook. Levi sighed and shifted his legs, beginning to lose feeling in them from Hanji sitting on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does each class do?” Hanji questioned, eagerly flipping to the first page of classes. Armin sighed and Mikasa stood up. She went to the kitchen and Eren heard the sound of pouring water. Then it shut off and she came back with a glass of water for Armin, who eagerly gulped it down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First there are the Swords. They specialize in combat with any kind of blade, even though they call themselves the swords. They are often people who act as bodyguards or fighters in the underground fighting rings. They also make for excellent assassins.” Hanji scribbled down his every word on the page titled ‘swords’. They glanced up at Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the next class?” They asked, flipping to the page titled spears. Armin sighed again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spears are best known for mid ranged weapons like spears, javelins, pikes, and the like. Back when those weapons were still in use, they were considered masters of the weapons. Now though they’ve practically died out from the lack of things like that, aside from jousting competitions.” Hanji nodded as they wrote the statement and flipped to the next page. Armin took another drink of his water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bows are really just incredible with any wooden long ranged weapon. Slings, bows, and other things like that. They often participate as contestants in competitions to hide their skills. They were more well known back in the days when that was commonly used.” Gandhi nodded so Armin sighed and dove into the next class. “Guns are more recent. I can only assume that it was an evolution of a bow who adapted to modern times. These people are incredible with any form of metal long range weapon. From artillery to pistols to fighter jets. In modern day society they become bodyguards or join the military.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incredible! So you’re saying it’s possible for the ability to evolve and change due to the situation or something like that?” Armin nodded. “Please, go on!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last fighter class are the shields. While most people don’t use actual shields anymore, the shields are likely the most adaptable of the fighters. Because the concept of a shield is the same no matter where you are or what century you live in: provide protection. They can do almost anything in modern day society as long as they consider themselves a shield or think they are preventing and protecting something.” Hanji stared at him in awe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so incredible. So they can do anything as long as they think they’re protecting someone or something! Imagine the possibilities if they were soldiers!” Armin smiled hesitantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re not even the best. The support classes are where things have really blossomed.” Hanji turned their attention back to Armin as they turned the page in their notebook. Armin smiled. “The healers are incredible and their name explains exactly what they do. Now in the old times from what I can understand, they were one of the rarest classes. Their healing abilities then made them early doctors and priests. This is where the common misconception that all angels can heal and have purifying abilities likely came from. Nowadays though, they are doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists, and still priests.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So modern day ‘healers’?” Hanji clarifies. Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The second supporter class are the alchemists. This type fits into modern society better than most, actually. These are modern day chemists, scientists, and researchers. They design new medicines and other drugs. They’re quite impressive.” Hanji nodded, eagerly scribbling away in their notebook, occasionally glancing up at Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The third type were the mages, right?” Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These guys struggle to fit into society, just like the enchanters do. Nowadays, often the enchanters and mages don’t use their gifts.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Hanji asked with a frown. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because their powers are really obvious. Think about it, do you normally see someone just conjure fire out of thin air? Call down lightning? Anything like that? Some of them can make it as modern day magicians, doing parlor tricks that are nothing compared to their true piers. But most of them pretend not to have magic. Then again, it’s already a rare gift so it’s not like we’ve got an army of mages under our control.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the fourth class?” Hanji asked eagerly. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it, off. Your fucking heavy and my legs are going numb. Find your own seat, heathen. You’re lucky I let you sit on me for as long as you did. Who knows when the last time you bathed was.” Levi forcefully shoved Hanji off his lap but they simply giggled and sat on the floor, still staring at Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, the fourth class are the enchanters. Their job is in the title. They can cause items to have ‘special effects’ such as increased luck or even setting the item on fire as a weapon. In modern day society though, they mostly make good luck charms or get normal jobs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the last ones?” Armin snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those guys are the merchants. Aside from the shields, the merchants are best suited for adapting. They find items to sell and sell them well. Several businesses that are quite popular were actually founded by my kind.” Hanji’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah? Like what??” Armin smiled at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mitras Monopoly, Shiganshina Supermarket, Trost Toys, and Stohess Sweets to name a few.” Hanji stared at him in awe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?? Those are some big name brands.” Armin smiled. Hanji frowned. “But how do you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s in the name.” Hanji tilted their head at the comment and Armin chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mitras, in our language means ‘money’, Shiganshina breaks into two parts: Shigan and Shina. Translating roughly to ‘cheap’ and ‘simple’. Trost stands for ‘create’ while Stohess means ‘candy’. They all have a translation that goes with our language.” Hanji whipped to stare at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! Did you know about this??” They cried. Eren shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Abducted at six, remember?” Hanji winced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right, sorry.” Armin frowned and stared at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were kidnapped?” Eren winced but nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Though I guess child services would probably have given me back to my father either way. After all, I think if they ever figured out who I was then he’d be the only relative listed.” Armin stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were both your parents like you?” Eren shook his head to the question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only my mother was. My dad was a fucking awful scientist who thought it was a good idea to experiment on his own wife and child.” Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My condolences. Can I ask what your mother's maiden name was?” Eren frowned, not seeing a correlation but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carla Engeltochter.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those of you that read this and went "Wait, weren't Mikasa and Armin part of the rescue squad?" Yes, yes they were, I chose to delete that for the sake of the plot. And Armin helps a bit more than anticipated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Nobility</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren is actually a noble??</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Armin’s eyes widened and he stared at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re an Engeltochter?? They’re like the nobility of our species! My apologies for not recognizing you sooner, milord!” Eren pulled back from Armin as Armin rushed forward and bowed to him. His wings fluttered nervously as he stared at the blonde in front of him. He glanced up at Levi helplessly. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, brat. What the hell are you going on about?” Armin hesitantly straightened up, still not meeting Eren’s eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Engeltochter line is one of the oldest of our kind in history. It would explain why Milord acted so harshly to meeting me.” Hanji tilted their head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” They asked. Armin glanced at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember? The fluffing wings and circling?” Hanji nodded and Armin sighed. “That’s an instinctive reaction we have to others of our kind. It displays dominance and allows weaker ones like me to know our place. I just assumed that I was the first he’d met that wasn’t a family member.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That wasn’t it?” Hanji asked. Armin shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most likely it was that and a combination of his instincts. Basically he couldn’t control himself but because of his strength, I couldn’t help but reveal my wings.” Hanji nodded and Eren noted that they were scribbling in their notebook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So can you control your instincts?” They asked. Armin nodded hesitantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the most part. I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to listen to my instincts but I feel better if I do. They are mostly survival instincts with a couple hierarchy things mixed in there.” Hanji nodded, eagerly scribbling down anything he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What sort of ability do you think Eren would have?” They asked. Armin shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t tell until they turn eighteen.” Hanji frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So he should’ve already manifested it?” They asked. Armin’s eyes widened and he stared at Eren in confusion and horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re eighteen??” Levi smacked Hanji on the back of the head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idiot, he’s sixteen. And skinny as hell for his age too. But I guess that's what happens when stupid assholes decide that starving him is a good idea.” Armin inhaled in shock and then flung himself at Eren. They were shocked when his wings wrapped around Eren and Armin practically pulled the poor boy into his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin gently stroked Eren’s hair while running his hand through Eren’s feathers. Eren seemed unsure how to react with the sudden motherly smothering. So he decided to just go with it and relaxed into Armin’s grasp. A few minutes later Eren fell asleep and Armin made a soft cooing noise in the back of his throat. The others watched him for a moment and he blushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Sorry, it’s instinct. I don’t have any control over it.” Hanji stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is the instinct for??” They asked eagerly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a mothering instinct. We’re very </span>
  <em>
    <span>family oriented </span>
  </em>
  <span>and usually need a group. So we have instincts to protect each other and stuff. It’s...interesting.” Hanji grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So somewhat like a flock of birds you guys look after each other?” Armin shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know how much of our instinct is bird or human. What we do know is that we feel very close with each other.” Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, going back to Eren being a noble, do you know of any family he may have?" Levi interrupted. Hanji pouted at him, clearly upset at being upset while researching and Armin merely sighed in relief. "Relax, shitty glasses. Knowing you, you're going to be interrogating him later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"True! So, I suppose we should get back to our real purpose for coming here; finding Eren's family and seeing if they can teach him how to survive in society!" Hanji cheered. Eren winced at the volume and Armin simply shook his head at Hanji's antics. They turned to Armin and eagerly stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well??" they asked. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There are currently five noble families. We don't have a real 'king' or 'queen' so they're kind of the government figures. There's the Reiss family, currently the largest...<em>flock </em>for lack of a better word, as well as the Engeltochters, the smallest and most elite. Then we have the Valkyries who are known for their dedication and steadfast tradition of joining the human military."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They join the human military?? Isn't that super risky though??" Hanji interrupted. Armin smiled and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is, but they didn't gain their name for no reason. The Valkyries have always been major figures in wars and history. They can often be seen with their wings out on battlefields, particularly in areas that held myths about angels that came and took fallen soldiers to Valhalla. I don't know if that's true, but there was a time when they refused to hide their wings in combat from what I've discovered." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So the myth of the valkyries came from them?? Oh, that's incredible!" Hanji said eagerly. Armin smiled at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yup. Continuing on, we have the Hoovers and the Brauns. The Braun family are more muscle heads who like to think they're stronger than they are. They're an older brother type flock and will try to help anyone they can. The Hoovers are more reclusive, the family being known for their shy ways. Apparently they have social anxiety running through their genetics. I don't really know why they act the way they do." Hanji was eagerly scribbling away in her notebook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Which flock are you part of, Armin?" Erwin asked. Hanji glared at him for a second before turning back to Armin, who smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not currently part of any flock. My family started out with the Reiss but they're a little overbearing and controlling so I left as soon as I could. I haven't attempted to join any other groups since it's better on my own." Erwin nodded and Hanji stared at Armin for a second before firing off another question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who are the current heirs to the flocks?" they asked. Armin paused, thinking about it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The current heirs, huh? Well, I know of Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Ymir Valkyrie, and Historia Reiss. As far as I know though, the Engeltochters haven't declared an heir yet. The current heads of the families are different though. There's Jason Braun, Michelle Hoover, Marcel Valkryie, Rod Reiss, and Kruger Engeltochter." Hanji scribbled frantically in their notebook happy with the information they'd gotten. Levi frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So is there any way we can get in contact with this Kruger person?" he asked. Armin nodded hesitantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can get in contact with him...but I don't know how open he'll be to seeing Eren. He seems like a smart man, but that doesn't mean that he won't be hesitant to meet with you because you're humans who know our secret. He'll probably swear you to secrecy." Erwin raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, we're used to cases of silence." Armin sighed in relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good. I don't know what happens to those who tell humans the truth and then allow those humans to go and spill the beans. I was worried for a second there." Erwin smiled pleasantly down at Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You need not worry about us. We know how to keep a secret." Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's good." Hanji stared at them for a moment before a mischievous light lit up in their eyes. They grinned and waggled their eyebrows suggestively as they spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll just leave and go chat somewhere else while you two sort <em>this </em>out," they chuckled, gesturing to the two. Armin blushed bright pink and a faint dusting of red brushed Erwin's cheeks. The two pulled apart while Hanji snickered and Levi sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't encourage them, four eyes," he sighed. They grinned up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But why not?? They'd be perfect together!" Levi sighed and rubbed between his eyebrows. He stared at the brunette who merely grinned back up at him. He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm done. I'm not putting up with them." Hanji whined while he turned to face the still blushing blondes and sighed before speaking. "Good luck dealing with them, I'm done." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand, Levi. I wish I could be done with them too," he sighed. Levi raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just remember, you're the one who wanted to hire them. Not me, I had nothing to do with that." Erwin blanched as he remembered hiring the excitable brunette. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh dear heaven, I did, didn't I?" he whispered, horrified. Hanji pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're both assholes, you know that?" Levi rolled his eyes. He looked back at Armin who was watching with a small smile, as if laughing at Hanji's antics while silently mocking and pitying them for being on the receiving end. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you mind if we write the letter now?" Erwin asked. Armin glanced up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, no, let me go grab a piece of paper." He darted into his room and came back with a piece of paper and a pen. "What would you like me to tell them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How about just that we're those who know of what they are and have a person who is the child of a Carla Engeltochter and would like to meet them?" Erwin suggested. Armin nodded and scribbled on the paper, taking a moment to think things out. He straightened up and lifted the paper up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to read it aloud now." Erwin nodded and Armin began. "<em>Dear Mr Kruger,</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <em>It is a pleasure to write to you. My name is Armin Arlert and I have something I would like to know. You see, recently I was approached by a human friend and their friends and accidentally was revealed to them. However, I did not reveal my wings. At least not intentionally. For I met another like us that doesn't have control over his instincts due to lack of teaching from those like him. From what I understand he was kidnapped by scientists, including his father, at a young age and was never educated in our ways. His name is Eren Jaeger but his mother's name was Carla Engeltochter. </em>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <em>I write this because the people who rescued him from the researchers were human and would like to find his family as well as help him readjust to society. They would ask if you would meet them so you can meet Eren. Please relax, they will not attempt to study you or our kind although one of them is rather interested in the science behind everything and may ask you quite a few questions. However, they mean no harm and it is only curiosity that drives them to ask those questions. I apologize if this reaches you at a bad time, but please respond as soon as you can. The humans looking after Eren have already said they will take the secrecy vow so if that is a concern, you no longer have to worry about that. </em>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>Thank you, Armin Arlert.</em>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finished and looked up at the rest of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How was that?" Erwin nodded, a pleased smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think that will do." Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll mail it as soon as possible. But for now, I think you should get <em>him </em>to a bed," Armin said, pointing at Eren who was nodding off, eyes drooping in an adorable manner. Levi walked over and promptly scooped the boy into his arms, earning a soft coo from Eren as he shifted his head closer to Levi's neck. Armin raised an eyebrow but said nothing as the others quietly packed up and walked to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you for this, Armin. I'm glad that you're so open with us about all of this." Armin shook his head, waving aside Erwin's thanks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll do anything I can to help one of my kind. So take good care of him, okay?" Erwin nodded and shut the door behind him as they left. As soon as he was sure they wouldn't hear him, Armin's legs crumpled and he collapsed, Mikasa rushing to his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Armin?" He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mikasa...what do I do? If I mail this to Kruger then he's going to come and who knows what he'll do to Eren for being a half breed! But if I don't then they won't trust me anymore!" he sobbed. Mikasa gently patted his back as she silently pondered over what to do next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry. We'll find a way to keep everyone safe," she promised.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Meeting the Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kruger responds to the letter Armin sent and we get more bonding with Levi.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took two weeks for them to receive a response letter from Kruger. In all honesty, unbeknownst to Levi and co, Armin had waited a week before sending the letter. He'd hoped to delay Eren meeting Kruger for as long as possible. But during those two weeks, Eren hardly saw any of Erwin or Hanji. It was really just Levi that he interacted with. And he was plenty happy with that. </p><p>"Levi...what's for breakfast?" Eren yawned as he came down the stairs, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He fought back a snicker at the now-familiar sight of Levi in a black apron making breakfast. Levi glanced at him before looking back down at whatever he was making, folding half of it onto the other half. Eren went to the cupboards and grabbed two glasses before proceeding to fill the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. Once it was boiling, he poured it into the cups and placed tea bags in, allowing it to steep. </p><p>"I'm making omelettes with sausage, bacon, and mushrooms in them." Levi replied with a bored voice as he reached past Eren and grabbed two plates from the shelves. He dished out the first omelette and handed it to Eren who happily took the omelette and his cup of tea to the dining table. While he waited for his to cool, Levi finished cooking the second and sat down across the table from him. </p><p>"Thanks for the meal!" Eren said, happily digging into his omelette. Levi sighed, reaching across the table to flick Eren's forehead. Eren yelped and pulled back. Levi glared at him. </p><p>"Don't eat too quickly. You could still make yourself sick," he scolded. Eren pouted but continued eating his breakfast at a much slower pace. During the two weeks they had worked on how much food Eren's stomach could take. They started off small and easy with soups and the occasional roll. Then moved to small portions of more normal foods. There were less meals that were soft and usually held in bowls and more that needed an actual plate to be eaten from. Eren's current omelette was a lot smaller than what the average teenager his size would eat but they wouldn't risk making him sick again. Levi in particular was handling everything about Eren with care, from cooking to making sure the boy exercised his wings and cleaned them properly. </p><p>They'd discovered that Eren had never been taught how to clean his wings as before he was kidnapped, his mother always cleaned them for him. At first Hanji suggested washing them the way birds do when they get them wet: by wetting them and flicking the water off. But Levi vetoed that, saying it made too much of a mess. So in the end, Levi would end up gently running a large comb through the feathers, catching ones that were molting and cleaning off oils by wetting the feathers and stroking them by hand to get dirt and grime off. </p><p>After a week of that treatment, Eren's wings were gorgeous and almost seemed to glow with life. The old, broken feathers had all fallen out and were now growing in healthier and stronger than before and they no longer had a dull gleam of dirt and oil. They now glowed and shimmered, just like they should. Erwin and Hanji had been awestruck by the sight of Eren's wings when they came to visit right after they'd been clean. Even as they sputtered, trying to speak to a confused Eren and eventually Levi, Levi just cleaned up the mess that had been made and gone to take a shower. </p><p>"I'll be fine, you know how quickly my body burns through whatever I eat," Eren said with a sigh. Levi raised an eyebrow. </p><p>"You do realize that it's only doing that because it wants to heal you completely and needs a lot of nutrients for that? It's not just because you burn through calories quickly, although you do that too." Eren sighed and pouted, looking down. There was a tense silence between them before Levi sighed. </p><p>"I'm only saying that because I don't want you to be sick, okay? You need time to heal and if you make yourself sick, it's only going to take longer, okay?" Eren nodded and Levi reached over to ruffle his hair. "Good boy," he said. Eren blushed and looked down at his food. For a moment Levi wondered if the boy had gotten a fever. Then he shrugged and went back to eating. </p><p>All of a sudden the doorbell began to go off, as if someone were pressing on it repeatedly. Levi sighed and Eren could hear the voices outside the door speaking with each other. </p><p>"Hanji, stop that unless you want Levi to hit you as soon as you get inside," Erwin scolded. Eren heard a delighted shrieking noise and sighed to himself. </p><p>"But Erwin, we finally got the letter!! I need to know what it says but you won't let me open it before all of us are here! Come on, come on, come on! Open the door, hurry, hurry, hurry!" they said excitedly. Eren frowned, looking down at his meal nervously. Levi narrowed his eyes, confused at the sudden attitude change but assumed it had something to do with whatever he could hear Hanji faintly squealing about. The door opened and Hanji burst through it, holding a letter above their head. </p><p>"Hello! The letter came! Finally, we'll get to meet another like Armin and Eren! And they're related to Eren!" they screamed eagerly. Eren winced and Levi glared Hanji into silence although he couldn't keep her from twitching and fiddling with the letter. Erwin sighed as he entered the house, looking more tired than the last time Eren had seen him. </p><p>"Sorry about them, they've been excited ever since they realized that Armin had sent us this response letter from Kruger. I insisted that we open it with everyone here though, so they've been stepping on my foot the whole drive over to try and get me to go faster." Levi nodded sagely. </p><p>"I suppose I should say that you're lucky shitty four eyes didn't get you either pulled over or put in the hospital," he said. Erwin sighed while Hanji squawked in outrage. Eren flapped his wings nervously and Levi noticed the gesture. He snatched the letter away from Hanji who shrieked in outrage before tearing it open. He pulled out the letter within and opened it to read it aloud. </p><p>
  <em>"Dear Mr Arlert,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It is a pleasure to hear from you and about such an interesting piece of information! I'm greatly sorrowed to hear that my cousin, Carla, is dead though I suppose that's only to be expected. I did try to warn her not to associate with humans, let alone a scientist or a doctor. It pleases me greatly to hear that she had a son as I have no heirs and the family traditionally only passes down to those of their own blood. I would love to meet this Eren and get to know him as family should look after family. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am a little concerned about the humans who desire to meet with me when I meet Eren but if they are the ones with custody over him at this time, and they are willing to take the secrecy vow, then I am willing to bend a little and accommodate them. It is good to know that Eren was rescued discreetly so our species hasn't been revealed to the public as I fear they would start a witch hunt for us. It has been proven in the past that large groups of humans cannot be trusted to remain peaceful. The only ones that have are those who are highly religious and believed us to be angels. I believe this concludes the letter, I will be happy to meet on September 24th, at the Valkyrie restaurant. If they don't know where or what that is, I believe you can bring them to it as I would be quite pleased to have you join us.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sincerely, Kruger Engeltochter."</em>
</p><p>Levi finished reading and they glanced at each other. Hanji let out an excited banshee shriek and danced in place. Erwin and Levi stared at them while Eren nervously picked at his breakfast. </p><p>"We get to meet with him! He said yes!!" Hanji screamed. Levi sighed. </p><p>"Shitty glasses, calm down. He's already made it quite clear that he isn't a big fan of humans." Hanji stared at him. </p><p>"What makes you say that?" they asked. Levi sighed and Erwin shook his head. </p><p>"How about the 'I did try to warn her not to associate with humans' or 'I'm a little concerned about the humans who desire to meet with me' parts? Those don't scream with distaste towards humans?" he growled. Hanji paused, thinking about it before they sighed. </p><p>"Well, I suppose that's true but how aren't you guys excited?? We get to meet him! We get to meet Eren's family and maybe find out more about their species as a whole! I'm so excited! Aren't you excited, Eren? You get to meet your family!" Eren glanced up and gave a small smile, a hopeful smile. </p><p>"Yeah. I can't wait."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, this one is short but I want the actual meeting with Kruger to be a separate chapter so short chapter for now and hopefully a long one next time. Comments are appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Meeting the Uncle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kruger has agreed to meet with them but they do have to ask Armin for a little help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, the twenty fourth of September is in four days so that's not a problem but what restaurant belongs to the Valkyrie group?" Hanji said. Levi sighed. </p><p>"I guess that means we're going to have to ask Armin for help, just like he suggested." Erwin nodded. </p><p>"It is strange though, to think that people like Eren have been around for centuries and yet no one from the modern world has actually seen them or what they can do?" He said. Hanji shrugged. </p><p>"It's not that strange. Back when there were angel sightings, angels would've undoubtedly been the stronger species. Even if we humans would've wanted to hurt or capture them they could have easily defeated us. Now though we have guns and missiles and that sort of thing. It would probably be a lot harder for them to match with us, even with their magic and healing abilities. I look forward to seeing just what they can do though! Ah, this is so exciting!! We're going to meet one of the leaders of a group of literal angels!!" The others watched as Hanji started rambling to themself, while Levi sighed. </p><p>"So...should we ask Armin now or later?" Eren asked softly. Immediately Hanji shut up and they all looked at him. He paled under all the attention and shifted slightly so Levi was looking towards the others and Eren was standing behind him. Hanji had a shit eating grin on her face and Levi merely glared at her. Erwin seemed to be legitimately considering Eren's suggestion. </p><p>"I suppose we should ask now so that we aren't late or mistaken later. How about this; Levi, you and Eren will go visit Armin while Hanji and I will go to work today. Heaven knows the cases have been piling up since we took this one." Levi nodded. </p><p>"Will do. We go visit the other brat and you two go work on solving crimes and shit." Hanji cackled excitedly. </p><p>"It'll be my first day as a forensic scientist, I can't wait to see what I find! Ah, this is so exciting!" They said as they walked out the door, Erwin in tow. The man sighed before shutting the door behind him and leaving the two alone. Eren relaxed slightly. </p><p>"Kid, they're gone, there's no need to hide behind me." Eren glanced up. </p><p>"But...it feels...I don't know, like I'm safe behind you. Like you'll protect me as long as I'm behind you," Eren said, pleading eyes meeting Levi's. There was a moment of silence where Levi processed Eren's statement, contemplated his response, and spoke. </p><p>"So you're using me as a shield? Brat, I didn't realize that was all you saw me as," he teased. Eren flushed and backed away. </p><p>"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! I meant um, well, I meant..." Levi fought down a chuckle and bit his lip to keep his teasing smirk from showing. He sighed as Eren became more and more flustered, the boy merely digging a deeper hole for himself. </p><p>"Kid, I was teasing you. I know what you meant." Eren froze, thinking that over before his hand whipped up and whacked Levi's arm. Levi raised an eyebrow as Eren glared at him with an embarrassed flush covering his face. </p><p>"You ass! Don't mess with me, how am I supposed to know if you're being genuine or not?" Eren growled. Levi really had to fight back a smirk this time, loving the look on Eren's face. Eren was pouting while attempting to look mad and it made Levi think of a puppy that was playing with you but trying to appear dangerous or scary. It truly was an amusing look on Eren. </p><p>"Alright, alright. No more games or tricks. We'll visit Armin, get some food in you, come back and take an afternoon nap, and then maybe get a little more food in you, okay?" Eren stared at him suspiciously. </p><p>"You aren't mocking me again, are you?" Levi snickered. </p><p>"Maybe a little." Eren seemed to puff up again as Levi turned around, snatching his car keys off the table. He spun them around his finger as he looked over his shoulder at the angel, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Well? You coming or not?"</p><p>Eren huffed a few times but followed Levi nonetheless. Levi truly found it quite amusing. They climbed into the car and Levi buckled Eren in before buckling himself as well and driving to Armin's place. They parked, got out, and went up to his door before knocking. </p><p>"Coming!" They heard Armin call. He opened the door, mild surprise appearing on his face at the sight of them. Levi raised an eyebrow at Armin's disheveled appearance. His blonde hair stuck up everywhere, his shirt hung on his small frame, and he was actually wearing fucking booty shorts. Armin followed his gaze before blushing like mad and flitting off into the house again. "Y-y-you can c-c-come in!"</p><p>Eren tilted his head, not understanding why Armin had reacted like that but still came in. Levi raised an eyebrow but shut the door after entering. Armin reappeared but this time wore light blue skinny jeans and a white button up. Levi's eyes narrowed in amusement. </p><p>"Trying to erase our memory of you in a giant shirt with booty shorts on by appearing all prim and proper?" he teased. Armin flushed before sitting down across from Levi. He sighed. </p><p>"Sorry, I thought you were Mikasa so I didn't change out of my pajamas. She usually comes home around this time. Anyway, what brings you to me today?" Armin asked, getting straight down to business even though Levi noticed him glancing at Eren before sliding a tiny bit closer to the other like him. </p><p>"We're here about this," Levi said, waving the letter around. Eren frowned, when had Levi grabbed that? Armin glanced at it, his gaze suddenly more guarded than before. </p><p>"What about it?" he asked. Levi sighed. </p><p>"We want to know where the 'Valkyrie restaurant' is. It said you could tell us?" Armin stared at him before he busted up laughing. He doubled over, unable to keep himself straight with how much he was laughing. Levi glared at him and Eren scooted closer to Levi. Armin slowly regained control of himself. </p><p>"You-you really don't know? Not even a guess?" he asked. Levi glared at him. </p><p>"Would we be here if we did?" Armin snickered a bit more before he tapped at his phone and turned it around.</p><p>"The Valkyrie restaurant is called 'Feast of Valhalla', playing into the belief that Valkyries would bring souls of the honored dead or those who died honorably to Valhalla where they would feast and train until the end of days when they were summoned to fight in Ragnarok. It's pretty interesting," Armin said, stifling a few snickers. "It's also very obviously a Valkyrie owned establishment. They're the only ones who play into the Norse myths and such."</p><p>Now it made sense why Armin had laughed at him. It <em>was </em>blindingly obvious but in Levi's defense, he didn't get out much and preferred to eat his meals at home alone. Not in an overly crowded place like that. Eren glanced between them, wondering if he should say something. He decided against it though, given that he wasn't as well informed as they were. Levi sighed and his hand came up to scratch at his undercut. He looked up at Armin again, apparently thinking of saying something while wondering how to phrase it. Eventually Armin got tired of waiting. </p><p>"What is it?" he asked. Levi decided against trying to be subtle and would just go for it. </p><p>"How much do you know about Kruger?" Armin froze and Levi noticed a brief flash of fear in his eyes. </p><p>"W-what? What do you mean?" he asked, trying to avoid Levi's sharp gaze. </p><p>"What is he like, what does he look like, how does he work, how does he feel towards humans, that sort of thing." Levi watched Armin the same way a cat would watch a small bird that was struggling to fly away. </p><p>"He's...he's a stern man, very set in his ways. He um, he has brown hair and kind of green eyes. He has a very strict work ethic but is really nice and friendly to his workers. He um...he doesn't really trust humans...so I wouldn't make him mad if I were you." Levi nodded. </p><p>"I see. Well, we should go. We've already taken up quite a bit of your time. Thank you for your help, Armin." Armin nodded and escorted them to the door before collapsing in horror once they were out. He stared at the floor in shock. </p><p>"Fuck, I messed up," he whispered. </p><p> </p><p>Four days passed quickly and Eren wasn't sure if he was prepared for what was to come. They stood in front of the restaurant, him, Levi, Erwin, and Hanji. It seemed to be a rather popular establishment if the number of people entering and exiting was anything to go by. Erwin led the way into the building with Hanji behind him, Eren behind them, and Levi making up the rear. They arrived at the front desk after a few minutes of waiting for other people to get their seating arrangements. </p><p>"Hello, welcome to Feast of Valhalla, do you have a reservation or are you here for the buffet?" the girl working the desk asked. Erwin stepped forward, his pleasant smile making the girl relax a little bit. </p><p>"I believe we are reserved for a meeting with someone under the name of Kruger?" The girl checked the list and frowned. </p><p>"I'm sorry, I don't see that name. Is there something else I can try?" Another girl stepped forward. </p><p>"Mina, check the VIP list too. You can just go through the normal list, you know," she said. The girl, Mina, nodded her thanks to the other and checked the list again. </p><p>"Oh, sorry, you are here. It's just not common for the VIPs to arrive at this time so I didn't think to check that list. Please follow Hannah up those stairs, Mr Kruger is waiting for you," she said with a smile. Erwin smiled back and they approached the other girl, Hannah. Hannah stared at them for a moment before smiling. </p><p>"It's good to see that you made it on time, particularly since he didn't set a time in your letter," Hannah said as they walked up. Immediately Erwin's attention was on her. </p><p>"You knew?" he asked. She flashed him a smile and unzipped the back of her uniform. Two reddish brown wings gently unfolded from where they'd been hidden under her uniform. Erwin nodded in understanding and she zipped her uniform back up again, hiding her wings. </p><p>"Is there anything you can tell us about Mr Kruger?" Hanji asked her. Hannah frowned. </p><p>"Don't make him mad. Mr Kruger is close friends with the current Valkyrie head and can easily have you removed from the establishment if he wants. He's also not fond of humans so be careful. Give him any reason to and he will have you thrown out in minutes," she said. They nodded. </p><p>"Relax, we'll be on our best behavior with him. Right Levi?" Erwin asked, glancing over his shoulder. Levi clicked his tongue and looked away, knowing he'd have to keep his mouth shut. Hannah stopped in front of a pair of curtains before pulling them open and gesturing for the others to go in. They entered and glanced around. The area they were in had several tables and could easily have had many other people in it but aside from the guards on the opposite side of the room, there was only one man in it. His eyes were cold as they took in the sight of Erwin and Hanji but once they fell on Eren, he stood as if shocked. He rushed forward, brushing past Hanji and Erwin. </p><p>"Eren...is that you?" he asked. Kruger gently took Eren's hands and turned them over in his own, never looking away from Eren's face. Eren stared at him nervously. He slowly nodded and a smile slowly stretched Kruger's face. "You look just like your mother."</p><p>"Um..." Eren glanced back at Levi who merely shrugged. As if remembering they weren't alone, Kruger released Eren and glanced at the others. </p><p>"Oh, my apologies, I was just so excited to meet my nephew. I am Kruger Engeltochter. You are?" Erwin stepped forward, his fake pleasant smile on his face. </p><p>"I am Erwin Smith and these are my friends Hanji Zoe and Levi Ackerman. It is our pleasure to meet with you. And there is no need for apologies, I completely understand wanting to greet your nephew for the first time," Erwin said. Kruger watched him, his eyes cold and calculating before he turned and smiled at Eren. </p><p>"Well then, let us sit and discuss what happened. I am eager to know how you all met and get to know my nephew." So they sat down and waiters brought their food. It seemed Kruger had already ordered a feast for them because once a plate was empty, another replaced it. They told their tale about how Hanji had not wanted to be a part of the experimentation on Eren and asked Levi and Erwin for help. After they'd finished telling their story, Kruger glanced at Eren. </p><p>"What about you, Eren? How did you end up in that situation?" Eren glanced down. </p><p>"They ambushed us, it was a complete surprise. They killed mom and knocked me out. When I woke up I was in the facility and that's when everything started. I don't really want to talk about it," he said softly. Kruger's eyes seemed to soften before he reached over and patted Eren's head. </p><p>"There there Eren, humans are truly a cruel and selfish species, aren't they? So barbaric." Eren stared at him, confused. He wanted to tell him that not all humans were bad, like Levi and Hanji and Erwin, but he remembered Hannah's warning about them being thrown out so he stayed quiet. The others could see the hesitance in Eren's eyes and knew he wanted to disagree with him but didn't, likely for their sake. Kruger stopped petting Eren to look at him in the face. "How about this Eren, how about you come live with me? I can teach you how to survive among humans and live like one of your own kind."</p><p>"But-" Eren started but was cut off by Kruger. </p><p>"That's why they arranged this meeting isn't it? To meet with your family and see if I would take you and teach you those things? Don't worry, I will. You are my nephew after all." Noting that Eren didn't seem happy about that, Kruger thought of something to make it a little bit sweeter. "How about once a month for three days your human friends can come visit you too? That way you'll have someone you're familiar with for a little bit until you become more familiar with the rest of us?"</p><p>Eren glanced at them before slowly nodding. </p><p>"Okay..." he said softly. Kruger smiled. </p><p>"Then you'll come home with me, alright? That way we can get you settled in as fast as possible." Eren slowly nodded. Levi felt a strange sort of hatred burning in his gut for Kruger. The man pretended to be nice and friendly but didn't let Eren say what he wanted. He only had bad feelings about this and he could tell that Hanji and Erwin did too. But if they wanted to know what was going to happen with Eren, they needed to stay silent and observe. The rest of dinner passed quickly with Kruger mostly talking to Eren. At the end he kept Eren by his side as he saw them out.</p><p>"Safe travels home to you." Erwin nodded. </p><p>"And to you. Eren, I hope you're happy with your family." Eren nodded. </p><p>"Me too." And with that they left and Eren stayed with Kruger. Kruger's hand fell away from Eren's shoulder and Eren didn't notice the dark look Kruger was giving him, too focused watching his friends and saviors drive away without him. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Behind the Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren and Kruger will be living together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once the car Hanji, Levi, and Erwin were in was out of sight Kruger stalked out towards his car, a black Ferrari, clearly in a hurry. Eren followed after him, confused as to what he was doing. </p><p>"What are you-"</p><p>"Get in," Kruger growled, opening the drivers door and getting in. Eren scrambled to open the passenger door and climb in, following Kruger's example. </p><p>"Um, where are we going?" Eren asked. Kruger glared at him and Eren flinched. </p><p>"Too many questions. You'll see when we get there." Eren looked down and away from Kruger, unnerved by the sudden mood swing. One moment he was happy to see Eren and the next he was glaring him into silence. It confused Eren and didn't make any sense to him. Eren stared at their surroundings, watching as skyscrapers flashed by him, having never really been outside the house Levi seemed to live in after he'd been released from Grisha's clutches. The sun was still rising and it painted the area in gold, reflecting off the glass of the towers. Then it slowly faded into two story homes that they were driving past. Eren stared at the green lawns with trees standing straight and tall as their branches spread, reaching for the sky. After the two story homes faded into one story homes, then they left city limits. The ground was green and wet, but it was a moldy kind of green. As if the land itself was disgusted by something, probably what the humans had done to it. Then Eren spotted a flat, rectangular building ahead of them. Eren stared at it as they approached it and noticed a plane taking off behind it. </p><p>"Why are we at an airport?" he asked. Kruger sighed and glared at him. Eren meekly bowed his head as Kruger rubbed the bridge of his nose. </p><p>"We're going to be taking my private plane to my home. After all, we can't just drive to where we need to go." Eren nodded and climbed out of the car as Kruger did the same. Eren submissively kept his head down as Kruger shouted orders at the attendants and the attendants scurried around, trying to fulfill his orders. One of them even approached Eren and tried to ask if he needed anything but Kruger simply said that Eren didn't need anything. The attendant flinched and backed away, hurrying off now that all the others had accomplished what Kruger had ordered them to do. </p><p>"Come, Eren." Eren scampered after Kruger as he approached a runway where a sleek jet was resting. The door on the side of the plane opened and a stairway rolled up to it before latching onto it. Kruger walked up the steps with no hesitation and Eren followed, although he was slightly more hesitant about it. Moving staircases could not be trusted in his eyes. Once inside the plane, Kruger went to the cockpit with the pilot while Eren sat down in one of the soft leather seats. Then he fiddled around with the little buttons on the arm rest, realizing they controlled the seat. One button made it warm up, another made it cool down. A third made it lay back while a fourth made it straighten up. Those were the only buttons he had to play with but he realized that the chair could also swivel around and he played with that. Then Kruger spoke over the intercom. </p><p>"Eren, buckle your seat belt. We're about to take off." Eren quickly buckled himself in and waited. A moment later the engine roared and Eren felt the plane seem to rumble under him. Then he felt the sensation of being pressed back into his seat as they moved forward and slowly took to the air, gaining altitude quickly. Eren gripped the armrests nervously as he waited for them to level out. Flying with his own wings was never like that, not that he'd been able to fly for a long time. When they leveled out, Eren watched the flashing sign that said <span class="u">Seat Belts ON</span> and once it turned off he unbuckled himself. Kruger came to the back, planning to get a drink and noticed Eren. He glared at him before sighing. "Eren. Do whatever you want just don't trash the cabin."</p><p>With that, Kruger left, taking a bottle back to the cockpit. That made Eren severely worried. After all, he was pretty sure that pilots weren't supposed to get drunk while in midair. Something about potentially crashing? Eren wouldn't know, he wasn't a flight expert. </p><p>"Now then...what should I do?" he asked himself. When he glanced around, aside from the fridge Kruger had gotten the alcohol from, there wasn't much of anything. And Eren certainly didn't want to try the alcohol. He glanced out the window and watched the world fade below them until all he could see were clouds for miles below him. He sighed and felt his wings brush the chair. His eyes widened with an idea and he opened his shirt, allowing his wings to be exposed. He reached over and began to card his fingers through the soft feathers. </p><p>He stroked them slowly but steadily, the same way Levi did when he cleaned his wings. The same way Levi massaged them when they hurt. Eren missed Levi. Missed the way Levi's eyes would soften when they looked at him. Missed the way Levi would scold him for not completely eating his breakfast. Missed the way they would argue about how Eren was fine or not. He missed Hanji and the way they would practically spit scientific jargon at him as if he understood what they were saying. Missed the way they would ruffle his hair when they felt he was feeling bad. Missed the way Levi and Hanji would argue with each other. He missed Erwin and how Erwin would always smile reassuringly at him, even if Erwin himself wasn't sure. Missed how Erwin would sigh in exasperation with Hanji and would give Levi that patronizing fatherly look. Missed how Erwin would try to stop Hanji and Levi's arguments even when they were about to take each other's limbs off. They were like his family.</p><p>Precious and warm and safe. </p><p>As he thought about them and recalled the times he'd spent with them, his eyes became heavy. He reclined the chair and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Levi and the others. But mostly Levi. </p><p>When he woke up, it was to the plane slowing down and landing. Apparently he didn't need a seat belt for that. He glanced out the windows but the only thing he could see was the hangar building. Kruger came out and glanced at Eren, giving him a once over. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long strip of black cloth. </p><p>"Alright Eren, since it's your new home, I want it to be a surprise. Are you okay with that?" Kruger asked. Eren slowly nodded and allowed Kruger to wrap the cloth around his eyes. Then something occurred to him. </p><p>"Wait! Shouldn't we hide my wings?" He tried to lift the blindfold but Kruger only tightened it. </p><p>"Of course not. Most people here are like us with a few humans who are bound to secrecy. Of course if you head to one of the more populated cities, there are more filthy humans who don't know about us." Eren frowned as he let Kruger lead him down the steps and into what felt like a car. Why did he call them 'filthy humans'? What was filthy about them? Wait. Maybe it was like how Levi called Hanji 'fucking disgusting' because they constantly forgot to take a shower? It did annoy Eren though that he couldn't actually see his surroundings. Last time he'd been in the car he'd just looked at their surroundings the whole way but because he was blindfolded, all he could see was pure black cloth. Not to mention the cloth was too tight and kind of itchy. </p><p>So to distract himself, Eren focused on what he could hear and smell. Of course there was the smell of leather, likely the seats, and whatever cologne Kruger was wearing. But he could hear more than he could smell. First he could hear the engine running. That one was a common one in a car but the engine was practically purring. It was a gentle noise and seemed like it was trying to put him to sleep. Then he could hear Kruger breathing. He would breathe normally for about six breaths before sighing softly and repeating the process. Another thing he could hear was Kruger's fingers tapping at the steering wheel. It was a slow, steady thumping noise. Then he could hear the tires running over what sounded like stone so probably asphalt. He heard it when the car turned and felt it as it slowed and finally came to a stop. Kruger reached over and pulled off the blindfold, allowing Eren to finally see his surroundings. </p><p>"We're here." Eren looked up and his jaw dropped in awe at the sight in front of him. A huge castle like one from a fairy tale stood proud before him. The only difference between fairy tale castles and this one is that fairy tale castles are usually described or drawn with bright colors like white and pink and blue. This one was a cold, stone grey. The door shut and Eren jumped, realizing that Kruger had already left the car. He hurried to follow after him but paused to take in his surroundings. The area around them was rolling green hills, a brilliant green that was fresh and pleasing to the eyes. Eren snapped out of it and hurried to follow Kruger, reaching for him to ask him a question. </p><p>"Um, uncle Kruger-" A slap rang out as Kruger whirled to avoid Eren's grasping hand while his own hand greeted Eren's cheek in a harsh slap. Eren froze, blinking in shock before looking up at Kruger in shock. Kruger glared down at him. </p><p>"You disgusting, filthy, fucking half breed. Let's get some rules straight, Eren. First of all, you do not address me as uncle or Kruger. You will call me either Master or Master Engeltochter. A fucking half breed like you doesn't deserve to call me by my first name let alone touch me. As far as anyone else is concerned, we are not related and I only brought you here to keep you out of the hands of humans. Got it?" Eren nodded meekly. "I can't hear you!"</p><p>"Yes...Master," Eren whispered. Kruger nodded. </p><p>"Second of all, do not touch me. A fucking half breed like you might contaminate a pure blood like me somehow so don't fucking touch me. If you do I will have your hands cut off and burn the cuts to make them heal slower. Third, in this house you are no one. We are not related until I say so and I will never accept a fucking half breed as my family. In which case, you are no one. As a half breed you have less authority than anyone else in this castle. Even the children have more authority than you do. Fourth and finally, you will act as a servant here. You will stay in the basement and if someone summons you, you will serve them until they dismiss you. I do not want to see hide or hair of you, understand?" Eren nodded, eyes still firmly on the ground. </p><p>"Yes Master." Kruger nodded before stalking off. Eren fought back tears as he straightened up and began to look around for the staircase to the basement. It was different from how he'd envisioned his life here. Sure he hadn't expected himself to become the heir or something but he definitely hadn't expected to be turned into a servant. Eren turned the corner, still fighting back tears and slammed into somebody. </p><p>"Watch where you're going!" she said as she fell back. Eren's eyes widened in fear and he bowed. </p><p>"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She stared at him, confused by the sincere, frightened apology. </p><p>"L-look, you don't have to talk to me like that. I'm not anyone important, I'm just a maid," she said, silver wings fluttering nervously behind her. </p><p>"I'm sorry." She sighed and reached her hand out, putting it in Eren's view since he was still staring at the ground. </p><p>"I'm not going to hurt you. Relax dude. I'm Rico Brzenska. Who're you?" Eren hesitantly looked up. </p><p>"I'm Eren. Sorry for running into you," he said. Rico sighed. </p><p>"I don't recognize you kid. Where were you headed?" Eren looked down. </p><p>"I was trying to find the basement." Rico stared at him in a mixture of confusion and shock. </p><p>"Why the basement? No one goes down there, ever. It's just a place no one goes." Eren looked up even though his eyes stayed sad. </p><p>"Krug-I mean, Master Engeltochter said that would be where I was sleeping. Since I'm a half breed that's apparently what I deserve." Rico stared at him in shock before grumbling something to herself. She sighed and glanced up at him. </p><p>"I'm guessing he made you the lowest class?" Eren nodded. </p><p>"He said everyone else in the house was higher than me. Even the kids." Rico sighed. She shifted her grasp on the basket of potatoes she held as she grabbed his arm with her free hand. </p><p>"Come with me." Eren followed, confused as she pulled him towards a tapestry hanging on the wall. She used her wing to expertly nudge it aside, revealing a hidden passageway. Eren followed her through the dimly lit passage until they reached a large white room that Eren could clearly recognize as a kitchen. </p><p>"Sasha, I brought the potatoes you asked for!" Rico called. A brown head of hair popped up. </p><p>"Thanks Rico, I knew I could count on you!" The girl said from around a loaf of bread in her mouth. Rico sighed and the girl, Sasha, noticed Eren. She swallowed the bread whole and Eren stared in shock. He didn't know someone could do that to a whole loaf of bread. "Who's this?"</p><p>"This is Eren, a half breed that the bastard brought home. He's been assigned the basement as a bedroom." Sasha gasped in horror and stared at Eren tearfully. </p><p>"You poor boy! Don't worry, I'll make sure you get something to eat. Rico, do you mind grabbing some bedding?" Rico shook her head and left after setting the basket of potatoes down. Eren shifted uneasily. </p><p>"Um...what should I do?" Sasha grinned. </p><p>"Why don't you start peeling those potatoes for me? I could use a hand since I can't seem to locate that idiot boyfriend of mine." Sasha huffed. Eren hesitantly picked up one of the knives on the counter, shuddering at the sight of the blade before attempting to peel it. A burst of laughter caused him to jolt and cut his thumb. Immediately the laughter stopped. "Shit! We need to get that looked at! That's a serious cut!"</p><p>Eren watched as Sasha darted around the kitchen, clearly trying to think of what to do. Eren simply sucked on it. When she saw that, Sasha shrieked and grabbed his hand. </p><p>"No, no, no! What are you doing?? Do you want it to get infected?" She cried. Then she stared as the cut healed right in front of her eyes, not even leaving a mark. Her eyes practically bugged out. She stared from Eren's face to where the cut should've been. "You-you're-you're a noble??" </p><p>Eren flinched before looking away. "I don't know what you mean."</p><p>"Cut the bullshit," Sasha said, straightening and putting her hands on her hips. "Answer me for real. Are you or are you not a noble?"</p><p>"I am," Eren whispered. Sasha stared at him. </p><p>"Then why the hell are you sleeping in the basement??" she hissed. </p><p>"Because I'm a half breed apparently. Not to mention my uncle refuses to accept me as his family." Sasha's eyes softened. </p><p>"Relax Eren, not everyone is as bad as him. Really it's only the Engeltochter family that has a thing against humans. All the other families are rather accepting of half breeds. You'll be fine here, we take care of each other." Eren nodded and Rico returned with the bedding. </p><p>"Alright. Since we usually use the basement for storage it's connected to the kitchen. I'll find you a good spot to sleep," Rico said as she descended the stairs to the basement. Eren followed and watched as she lay the fluffy dark blue blanket down on the ground next to a bunch of crates before she tossed some pillows on it and added another blue blanket. She smiled softly at Eren as she left. </p><p>"Thank you," he said. Sasha patted his head after having come down to get some more ingredients. </p><p>"Get some rest Eren, you're probably tired from a long flight." Eren nodded and collapsed on the pile of blankets and pillows, giant wings covering the rest of him. The two women smiled at him before heading back up the stairs to complete the rest of their work. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Living at the Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After the disappointing revelation that Kruger hates Eren simply because of his half human parentage Eren now has to live in this place as the lowest of the low. Thankfully it seems not all of them are too bad.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Eren woke up, it was dark. A stark difference from both of the places he’d lived in before. In the lab it was always lit, never dark. When he was living with Levi there had always been the window so there had been at least a little bit of light no matter how early he woke up. Not to mention that when he woke up if he made even the slightest sound, Levi was always there to check on him. Eren curled up on his little nest of blankets, wishing he had something to remind him of Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly a bright light filled his vision. Eren winced and looked up, yawning slightly. Sasha noticed him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh! Sorry Eren, I forgot you were here! I came down here to get some ingredients and I completely forgot you were still asleep!" Sasha said, wings fluttering apologetically. Eren sat up and stretched, wings flexing as much as they could in the space around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What time is it?" He yawned. He stood up and pulled his wings against his back so he could slip a shirt over his head. Sasha stared at him for a moment before tutting and whisking away up the stairs. Eren flinched. Was she mad? Had he done something wrong? Sasha came back down the stairs holding something in her hands. She held it out to Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is the uniform the servants wear. It has buttons on the back so your wings can be out. Sorry I forgot to get you this earlier. Anyway, it's five in the morning. I've got to start early to provide enough food for all the big wig shits when they finally do get up and eat." Eren tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Big wig shits?" he asked. Sasha stared at him before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Listen Eren, Kruger isn't the only one like that here. Sure most of us have the opposite way of thinking compared to him but there are some who share his thoughts. Those are the nobility who live here. They're cruel, they're vicious, and most of all they won't hesitate to hurt you if they catch wind of your existence. They're also those with abilities so there's not much we can do against them. They seem to think that just because they have powers we don't they're like gods to us. Yeah well fuck that. Promise me you'll try to stay as far away from them as possible? Those guys are bad news Eren." Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll try to stay away from them," he said, accepting the uniform. He pulled off his shirt and heard Sasha gasp. He glanced at her before following her gaze down to his stomach which still gave her a clear view of his ribs. It wasn't as bad as it had been when Levi had picked him up but it still wasn't good. He flinched and his wings came up around him in an attempt to hide the clear sign of starvation. Sasha was quiet as he put on the shirt, gathering the ingredients she needed before heading up, allowing him some privacy to change his pants. Once he'd done that Eren carefully folded his blankets remembering how Levi had glared at his messy bed once Eren was better than he'd been when he first arrived. That little tic in his jaw that was the only indicator of his disgust aside from the contempt in his eyes. Eren chuckled to himself as he remembered that. It also reminded him of the time that Hanji had brought in a massive bug and tried to show it to Levi, practically shoving it in his face. Hanji had ended up on the floor unconscious and the bug had been squashed flat before Levi sanitized the entire house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the blankets were folded Eren hesitantly went up the stairs and was shocked to see three people working in the kitchen. The first was Sasha, he was familiar with her. The second was a boy with fluffy brown wings and a freckled face. Last was a shaved head boy with wings that were mottled dark brown and gold. Eren paused at the entry and waited until someone noticed him. The shaved one noticed him first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the-Sasha, who's that?" Sasha glanced over. She smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Connie, that's Eren. Eren, this is Connie, my boyfriend, and the other one is Marco. They're really nice people, you can trust them. Oh yeah, Eren do you know how to peel potatoes? Wait, don't answer that. Um...I know! Eren, come knead this bread for me. I'm a bit busy so I can't do that. Knead it until it's still elastic but not as sticky." Eren nodded and walked over to the strange lump of dough. He began to knead it, adding flour to make sure it didn't stick to the counter. Once he felt it matched her conditions he moved on to the next batch of dough. After about an hour or so things began to calm down and the three had more time to chat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So Eren, where are you from?" Connie asked. Eren paused before shrugging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know." Connie stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't know? How do you not know where you're from?" Eren shrugged again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The last place I remember knowing the name of that I lived at was Utah. Before that I lived in Germany, Britain, China, Japan, and a couple others. So I don't know exactly where I'm from." Connie stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You've been all over the world, haven't you? I envy you for that. I was born here and if what the so important <em>Master </em>says is true, I'll die here." Eren glanced up at Connie in surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" he asked, shocked by what Connie had said. Connie nodded wisely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The only one of our species who ever leaves the island is Kruger himself. The rest of us stay wherever he puts us. It's so boring here, nothing happens!" Connie sighed, slouching over the counter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Except the Wing Tournament," Marco commented. Eren tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's the Wing Tournament?" he asked. Marco smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's a competition where all the heads of the families gather here and send their best members to compete in various competitions to represent them. It's a bonding experience for the houses. It's also the only opportunity any of us ever have of getting out of here," he said, eyes sad. Eren tilted his head. Sasha sighed and Eren looked at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"As part of the 'elite' household we have to join another family if we ever want to leave the island. The head of house's orders are absolute for the rest of us. We can't oppose him lest we become flockless." Eren tilted his head and frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's so bad about being flockless?" They stared at him in shock. Eren shrugged. "It doesn't seem that bad to me, besides I know somebody who's not part of a flock and he's very happy. Besides, if you all leave at once and stick together aren't you a flock together?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, there's safety in numbers. The reason only the nobles have their own families is because they crush any competition. They don't like the thought of their power being stolen from them so whenever a challenger appears who isn't from one of the other noble families, they'll force them to join their flock. You're 'friend' has probably only stayed flockless because he kept his head down and didn't draw attention to himself. If we put it in terms of birds, the nobles are like eagles and falcons: able to fly the highest and see the farthest. The rest of us are like sparrows and finches: tiny, small, and inconsequential. That's just how it is," Sasha said. Eren frowned. He didn't like the thought of his friends being pushed into submission by anybody. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then...what if I formed a flock?" They stared at him for a moment before Connie clapped a hand over Eren's mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you insane?? Why would you ask that here?? You never know who's listening and if this gets back to the big wigs, they'll have you flogged for that. Or worse they'll cripple your wings!" Connie hissed. Marco nodded fearfully while Sasha looked away, biting her lips. Eren sighed and gently pushed Connie's hand away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright. I'll keep my head low. At least for a while." They sighed in relief and suddenly a phone on the wall rang. Eren stared at it, wondering why they had such an old model as Sasha hurried to pick it up. She picked it up and brought it to her ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes sir? Yes...that's correct. I understand. Yes sir, I'll bring him." She hung up the phone, face pale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who was it?" Connie asked. Sasha turned to face them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was Cain." Marco and Connie flinched before Marco spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"W-what did he want?" Sasha looked down and Marco's eyes widened. "Sasha, what did he want?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He wants me to bring Eren to him. I don't know his reasons, just that he does." Marco and Connie gasped. Eren glanced between them, confused at what was going on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't get it, who's Cain?" Marco turned to look at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's one of the elite. Since Kruger has no blood heir to the Engeltochter throne the elites are all vying for his attention as much as possible. Cain is said to be the most likely to take over once Kruger is gone but Cain is also the most violent and cruel. He's...fuck, Eren, I'm so sorry!" Marco broke off, tears beading in his eyes as his wings folded tightly against his back to appear smaller. Sasha gently took Eren's wrist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry Eren but I can't tell him no. Please, don't do anything that would make him angry, alright?" She whispered, tears beading in her eyes. Eren's eyes became cold. He already didn't like this person and he didn't even know them. But how could he like someone who could inspire such fear and horror in the people who took care of him? It pissed him off. In the hallways they passed Rico who frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sasha, where are you two going?" she asked. Sasha swallowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Cain called for Eren." Rico's eyes widened in fear. She looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I see." She grabbed Eren's other arm and turned him to look at her. "Eren, if you have injuries that need treating, head to the East most wing of the castle and ask for Farlan, say that Rico sent you. They'll understand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks Rico. Thank you." She nodded and walked off quickly. Sasha tugged Eren along until they finally arrived in front of a door with a golden dragon on it. Sasha rapped on the door five times quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who is it?" A gruff voice called. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's S-Sasha and Eren, milord," Sasha said. The door opened and Eren glanced up at the beefy man. He had greasy brown hair but alert golden eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you're the half breed Kruger's been going on about. Get in here. Sasha, you too." Sasha entered with her head down and Eren followed her. Cain grinned as he blocked the door. Eren noticed that the window was locked and he couldn't see any other escape routes. Sasha stood trembling in the corner while Cain stalked towards Eren. "Hey little halfie, nice to meet you. I'm Cain Jinlong. I called you here because I feel like you should learn your place the hard way." Eren tilted his head in confusion. As least until he saw the fist swinging towards his face. He ducked and his wings fluffed up becoming razor sharp. Cain glared at Eren. "How dare you dodge?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I dare." Eren replied, jumping back to avoid a second punch. He may not know a lot about fighting but he did know a lot about evasion from what little time he spent with Zagan. He spun and his wings slashed Cain's cheek. Cain froze and lifted his hand to his cheek slowly. He pulled it away and stared at the red blood staining his fingers for a moment before he grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh I'm going to make you regret that. Not now, I'm bored of this for now, but soon you'll learn that you shouldn't <em>dare </em>to hit me. I'm going to make your life hell little boy," Cain promised. Eren simply stared at him before shrugging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't do anything worse to me than I've already gone through." With that he left the room, hearing footsteps hurriedly following after him. Once they were a safe distance away, Sasha started her rant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, what were you thinking?? He's the highest rank aside from Kruger and he's Kruger's favorite! You can't just challenge him like that!" Eren snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's not that strong. I've faced stronger before. I'm not going to sit back and let him push the rest of you around just because he's got some fancy pants ability. That's not what I believe in. I have morals though it seems he doesn't." Sasha stared at him for a bit longer before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just...please try to lay low for now." Eren nodded though when he looked up, if Sasha had seen his eyes she would've known he had no intention of listening to her.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Wing Tournament Preparations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The nobles have it out for Eren and the boy in question is plotting something. Things will come to a head in the annual Wing Tournament.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren slowly got accustomed to the life of a servant. Oddly enough, since the incident with Cain none of the other ‘elites’ had called for him. So he stayed with Sasha or Rico. Rico has dragged him into her little group of maids after discovering how well Eren cleaned. He didn’t understand why they were so shocked that he could clean. Sure Levi had taken care of most of the household chores while he’d stayed with him but that didn’t mean that Eren was sloppy or messy. And Levi had gotten it into his head that a hand cleaned house was a happy house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one really paid much attention to him. He didn’t mind, he’d been the center of attention since he was six, trapped in that lab. It was nice to be left alone most of the time. But oddly enough whenever he was alone he found himself cleaning out of habit. It felt odd to not hear someone else breathing with him in the silence. Levi had always been with him and even if Levi hadn’t said anything Eren would know he was there. He missed the safe, quiet presence that Levi had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren!” Eren glanced up at Rico. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes? What is it Rico?” Rico stared at him for a moment before speaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did no one tell you that we need to start preparations for the Wing Tournament? I’m sure I told someone to tell you.” Eren shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t been given any messages at all today.” Rico frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s odd. I definitely sent someone to tell you. I wonder what happened to them. Oh well, let’s go. We’ll finish up preparations and then we’ll watch the drawing of contestants.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Drawing of contestants?” He repeated. Rico nodded as they began walking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because the other noble families want the lower members of their groups to participate as well there’s a random drawing to decide which of the servants will end up participating.” Eren nodded as they arrived on the fields. Eren glanced around, noting that even though it would be easier to fly when working on some parts no one did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rico, why does no one ever fly here?” Rico winced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only the nobles are allowed to fly. It’s a challenge to their authority if we even try to fly. So most of us lower ones don’t even know how to fly.” Eren stared at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t fly even when you were a kid??” He asked. Rico shook her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If a child flew then the parents would take the punishment. I remember seeing one kid who lived near me get caught flying. They broke his mother’s wing. She can’t fly at all.” Eren shivered. Were the nobles really so domineering? Did they really need to prevent the commoners from flying? His eyes narrowed. That was wrong. They were born with wings that work. Flying was their birthright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But even so Eren assisted with preparations without flying. After all, he didn’t want to take any chances. Not to mention that if he did and got caught he would probably fight back and someone else would get hurt in his place. He refused to give those stuck up shits the chance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright Eren, that’s all! Let’s go attend the drawing,” Rico said. Eren nodded and followed her to where a small crowd was growing. His eyes narrowed and his lips curled in a sneer when he realized that Cain was the one drawing names. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay all you pathetic weaklings, it’s time to start the drawing! As is normal there will be four names drawn who will participate as a team against the nobles in the Wing Tournament,” he called. Eren noticed how Cain leered at him and shivered, feeling like something was off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something’s wrong…” Eren murmured. Rico glanced at him before looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see anything off,” she whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cain. He’s up to something. I don’t know what it is but something is undoubtedly wrong.” Rice glanced at Cain, noting his victorious smirks directed towards Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Something’s up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will now draw the names. First is,” he ruffled his hand through the box score pulling out a single piece of paper, “Connie Springer!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Shit!!!” Eren heard Connie cry. Eren’s eyes narrowed. Why didn’t Cain just say his name?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next...Sasha Blouse!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Noooo!” Sasha screamed, horrified. Cain grinned cruelly and Eren glared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Third, Marco Bott!” He called. Eren glanced at Marco who was a few feet from them. Marco simply shrugged. Eren guesses he’d resigned himself beforehand. Cain frowned at the lack of a reaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does he want them to scream or be horrified?” Eren asked Rico. She sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If your name gets drawn it means you have to compete against them so it’s usually not fun for us normal people,” Rico explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And lastly,” Cain ruffles his hand through the box again before drawing a name and grinning cruelly, “Eren Jaeger!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren stiffened at the use of his father's last name. Frustratingly he couldn’t tell them that wasn’t his last name because of Kruger’s stubbornness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All of those called are exempt from the rules for the next week to prepare for the Wing Tournament!” Cain said. “Make that time count.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rico glanced at Eren and Eren glared at Cain. Then he smirked, a silent challenge. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bring it on. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we gonna do??” Sasha sobbed in the kitchen. Eren stared at them in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” He asked. Sasha glared up through her tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’?? We got called for the Wing Tournament!! Us! Those who’ve never flown before or really done anything with our wings! We’re going to be decimated!!” Sasha sobbed. Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s worse is that we can’t just surrender because that would disgrace the Engeltochter house in front of all the other houses. We’d be in serious trouble if we did that.” Eren frowned, thinking about what he could do. Then it dawned on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go out at night?” He asked. Usually they had a curfew since they weren’t nobles but they’d been exempted from the rules for the next week. Marco nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to follow any rules aside from the flight rules for the next week to prepare for the Wing Tournament,” Marco said. Connie and Sasha clearly weren’t following but Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. During the day we’re going to practice hand to hand combat and any other possible challenges. Then during the night we’ll have flight practice.” They stared at him in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Eren none of us know how to fly,” Marco said. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucky for you I do then.” Their eyes widened and they stared at him. Eren snickered at the stupefied looks on their faces. “Let’s gather here at ten and then we’ll sneak out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others glanced between each other before hesitant grins began to creep across their faces. Those small grins began to grow into smiles before they were laughing excitedly. Ah yes, the thrill that came with doing something you knew you shouldn’t really was so invigorating. Eren grinned and went to complete his chores from the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>That night they collected in the kitchen. Marco apparently knew of a secret way out that the people in charge of taking out the trash used. It was a hidden tunnel that not even the nobles knew about. Together they snuck out and went to the giant forest nearby. Once they were in the woods Eren stretched his wings, spreading them completely. The others stared at his massive wings in shock. Eren glanced at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” He asked. They blinked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry it’s just...your wings are bigger than I thought they were. Since you always have them folded tight against your back I think we all assumed they were really small.” Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A smart hawk hides their fangs,” he said. They stared at him in confusion and Eren sighed, shaking his head. “Let’s get on with this. I want you to spread your wings.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly the others spread their wings. Eren studies each of their wings making sure the flight feathers weren’t damaged. When he pulled back he smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good news is that your flight feathers are still good so you can fly. The muscles are probably weak right now but let’s try. I want you to flap your wings as hard as you can.” They stared at him in confusion so Eren decided to explain. “While the feathers are fine your muscles are not. I want to see how long and how hard you can flap your wings. That way we can strengthen your wing muscles. We’ll do that tonight and tomorrow before trying to fly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t we at least try to fly tonight, Eren?” Sasha asked. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Get up to one of the branches above us and jump off. If you can fly by instinct then we’ll say you’re strong enough and start flight training.” Sasha grinned and quickly scaled the tree. She braced herself and took a breath. Then she threw herself off the tree. A quarter of the way down was when she started panicking, her wings still folded against her back. They spread slightly but couldn’t completely unfold. Eren crouched before jumping up, wings spreading and flapping to catch the air as he shot up. He caught her and gently brought her back to the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was scary…” Sasha said, shaking slightly in Eren’s arms. Eren nodded as he set her on her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Currently your habit is to keep your wings folded against your back. Which means that if you were to fall your wings wouldn’t open until it’s too late. As you can guess and as you’ve seen, that’s a bad thing. This flapping practice strengthens your wings and gets you used to opening your wings completely.” They nodded and hesitantly began the flapping practice. Eren participated with them too to make sure they were even. Though, with his larger wings, it turned out that he could produce larger bursts of wind. Finally Sasha paused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, you don’t have to do this. Shouldn’t you be practicing your flight?” Eren glanced up at her, still beating his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t that be unfair to you guys?” He asked. Marco and Connie shook their heads. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No man, we need to sharpen our skills as much as possible to win this shit or at least not get killed. We need to learn to fly before we do anything but you need to practice your flight.” Eren hesitantly nodded. He jumped into the air and shot up, weaving around branches and trunks as he went. Those on the ground stopped to stare at him as he wove between them, wings not even brushing the leaves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren increased his speed, shooting up towards the canopy. Branches tried to grasp at him but he wove around them towards the blanket of green above. Then he broke free of the canopy. A laugh burst free of his lips as Eren stared up at the starry night and the face of the moon. His wings clawed at the air, pushing him higher. He stretched his hand out and it slashed through the thin clouds, leaving a wet feeling on his hand. He grinned and fell backwards, coasting on the air for a second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The support from his wings disappeared as he began plummeting towards the ground headfirst. He grinned and folded his wings against his back. He broke the canopy and immediately snapped his wings half open, using his speed to give him sharp spins around branches and twists around the trees. Right before hitting the ground he snapped his wings completely open and landed on his feet. He straightened from his crouch and looked up. The others were staring at him in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Eren asked them. Connie spoke up first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we learn to fly...can you teach us how to do that?” He asked, awed. Eren blinked and grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. But that’s way in the future. Anyway, if we want to be ready for tomorrow then we should probably head back and go to sleep.” Marco checked his watch and his eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fudge! It’s almost midnight!” He said. Eren stared at him before glancing at Connie. Connie shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco has a thing against swearing,” he said. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Let’s head back now. How do your wings feel by the way?” Eren asked. Sasha massaged her shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My wings are sore. It’ll probably be even worse tomorrow.” Eren chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” Eren laughed. Together all four of them went back to their rooms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Levi’s POV</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erwin. Have you found where that bastard took Eren?” Levi growled. Erwin shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid not, Levi. Don’t worry, I’m still searching.” Levi growled in irritation as he whirled to head back to his house. A day after Eren left Armin had come to them in tears. Apparently that bastard Kruger has a serious thing against those who were children of humans or ‘half-breeds’ as Armin called them. Since then they’d been searching for where Kruger might’ve taken Eren. According to Armin the Engeltochter base of operations was Ireland but even then they still had no idea how the hell to find Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since then Levi has been strung tight and extremely snappish. Anyone who approached him knew better than to piss him off with his extremely short fuse. He opened the car door and entered his car, slamming the door shut behind him. His phone began to ring in his bag and he pulled it out. He took one look at the caller ID and immediately answered the call. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it, Armin?” He asked. “Did you find where he took Eren?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No...but I may have found a way to find out.” Levi frowned as he started the car and connected his phone to the car's sound system. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that is?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well in less than a week a competition called the Wing Tournament that is held yearly by the noble houses will be taking place in Ireland. Most of the noble houses will be gathering to participate. I’ll contact some old friends and see if I can bring you, Erwin, Hanji, and Mikasa with me. That way we can try to find him at the base of Engeltochter operations. What do you think?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yessir.” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Wing Tournament Preparations Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Continuing with preparations for the Wing Tournament.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren lunges at Connie who narrowly dodged him. Eren twisted mid lunge and kicked Connie’s legs out from under him. Connie collapsed with a thud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouch man, how are you so fast?” Connie groaned from the ground. Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. What I do know is that the nobles are likely to be even faster than me and you all need to learn to dodge. Where’s Marco?” Sasha shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He left a few minutes ago saying something about getting some help,” she said. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. Sasha, switch places with Connie.” Sasha groaned but got up and stood across from Eren. She braced herself and waited for Eren to move. After a few minutes of him looking somewhere else entirely she relaxed and that’s when he attacked. He shot forward and she jolted back, wings spreading halfway as if she were about to take flight. Eren spun in a half circle, using his wing to smack her stomach. She doubled over on the ground. A slow clapping echoed through the training field. Eren glanced over at where Marco was standing with a horse looking two toned kid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a bad attack for a commoner,” he said. Eren raised an eyebrow before looking to Marco for an explanation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Jean. He’s one of the nobles and knows hand to hand combat. So I asked if he would help teach us.” Eren nodded and glanced back towards this ‘Jean’ person. Jean smirked and held out his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Jean Kirstein. I hope we’ll get along.” For some reason Eren automatically hated this person. However he forced that hatred back. He knew he couldn’t properly teach the others how to fight when he himself didn’t know. He nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren.” Jean nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then, shall I take over?” Eren waved his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go for it.” With that Jean began his lesson. Apparently he was actually good at teaching them the basics. Since Eren had just been teaching them how to dodge he’d neglected everything else like stance, blocks, punches, basic moves, etc. Eren learned quite a bit and by the end of the lesson as it came time for dinner when they had to go back and work in the kitchen Eren was able to beat Jean four times out of five. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are shockingly good,” Jean said as he got up from being pinned. Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You taught well. It was clear and simple. Thank you for helping us even though the nobles are going to be against us,” Eren said as Sasha, Connie, and Marco hurried back to the kitchen. Eren turned to follow them but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned and stared at Jean. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch your back Eren. The other nobles have a thing against you. It’s mostly because they were brainwashed by Kruger but Cain certainly hasn’t helped their opinion of you. Most of them will be gunning for you so make sure to take care of yourself.” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Thanks for telling me. And if they do come after me, I’ll be sure to separate myself from the others. Don’t worry.” Jean nodded and let him go. Eren hurried down to the kitchen and continued helping the others prepare dinner. When ten rolled around they snuck out again. When they reached the forest the others immediately began to flap their wings. Eren stared at them for a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you guys want to try flying?” He asked. They stared at him in surprise. “All of you started opening your wings to catch yourselves when you fell in training so I want to see if you can fly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay so do we just climb up into the trees and jump?” Connie asked. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For now. Once you’ve got the hang of gliding and flying we’ll try getting you to take off from jumping like I do.” Connie pumped the air with his fist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell yeah! I’ll bet we’re the first non-noble Engeltochter members to learn to fly!” Connie cheered. Sasha hurriedly shushed him and they waited a moment to see if anyone had heard them. When nothing changed they relaxed. A grin crept over Connie’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Last one up the tree’s a rotten egg!” He laughed. He began scaling the tree. Sasha gasped in mock horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Not fair, you started before us!” She wailed. She and Marco began climbing the tree. Eren flew up and grabbed Connie’s leg, preventing him from climbing higher. Connie jolted and looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the-? Eren! Why??” He cried. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cheaters get frozen before reaching the top,” he said with a grin. Connie tried to shake him off but Eren only grinned and held on tighter. Once Marco and Sasha had reached the branch, Eren let go and flew up to where they were. Connie grumbled as he finished in last place. Sasha snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s the rotten egg now?” She snickered. Connie glared at her and she laughed. Eren smiled at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now. Who wants to go first?” Immediately the grind disappeared and their faces went pale at the thought of possibly failing and falling to the ground. Marco stepped forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do it.” Eren smiled and jumped off the branch, waiting for Marco to follow. Marco swallowed nervously before he jumped off, wings snapping open. He wobbled at first, unused to the air currents and how to stabilize himself but when he began to drop down his wings automatically flapped. His eyes widened in excitement as he repeated that action and began to fly around the trees and branches. He laughed and soared around the tree Sasha and Connie were still standing on. He wasn’t fast but he was stable and that was what was most important. Marco soared around the trees and Eren turned back to the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s next?” He asked. Immediately Connie and Sasha nearly shoved each other off the branch in their attempt to be first. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One at a time please, I can’t catch you both if you fall.” Connie turned to Sasha with a dead serious expression. She glared at him and simultaneously they lifted one of their clenched fists. Eren tilted his head in confusion as they lifted and lowered them three times before changing the shape. Sasha held out two fingers while Connie laid his hand out flat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Connie cried, collapsing in defeat. Sasha pumped her fist in victory before tripping over her own feet and falling off the branch. She squeaked in fear and Eren shot forward to catch her. Her wings snapped open and she desperately flapped them to try and level out, awkwardly gaining altitude. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“E-Eren, how do I do this?” She asked, swallowing nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lean forward and glide before you try to fly.” She gave him a look that read ‘what the hell is that supposed to mean??’ but did as he said anyways. She hesitantly tilted in midair and straightened her wings out, gliding on the air currents. She nearly crashed into a tree and had to flap her wings to avoid crashing. “You’re doing great!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not helping!” She shouted. Marco came up and glided around her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, Sasha, you’re panicking. Just glide for now. Flap your wings only when you need to,” Marco said with a smile. Hesitantly Sasha trusted him and followed him through the trees. She frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is less exciting than I expected,” she commented. Eren snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Learn the basics before doing something more complicated. That’s a general rule for most things,” Eren said. He turned to Connie. “It’s your turn, Connie. Try not to trip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned and backed up before launching himself into the air. His wings flapped, gaining altitude before gliding around the first tree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Take that Sasha, I can fly better than you can!” He laughed. Sasha pouted before turning towards him and crashing into him. They screeched with surprise, Sasha clearly not having been expecting this result. Eren shot forward and grabbed them around the waist. His eyes flickered gold as he exerted more of his strength than usual. He flapped his wings, feeling them strain before landing on the nearest branch. He glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell was that?” He growled. They flinched and looked down. Eren sighed. “Whatever. I’ll let it go because I found what I need to practice from that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Connie asked. Eren stared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flight weight training.” They stared at him and he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My wings haven’t been used in a while either. It was only recently that I could use them as I pleased.” Marco stared at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been wondering this for a while Eren but why did Master Engeltochter take you in?” They stared at Eren in surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just wanted to get me out of the hands of some humans who rescued me from a group of researchers.” They shivered and Eren sighed. “It doesn’t matter.  I’m here now and that’s what matters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were silent for a moment, clearly horrified at the thought of what Eren might have gone through. Then Connie smacked his cheeks and pumped his fists. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright! Let’s forget about that and work hard to beat the shit out of those stuck up nobles!” He said, changing the subject. Eren smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Let’s do this.” With that the three launched themselves off the branch while Eren scanned the ground for a decent sized rock. When he saw one a little bigger than his head he flew down and picked it up. It wasn’t light but it wasn’t overly heavy. His wings flapped and Eren crouched before jumping into the air, carrying the rock with him. Almost immediately his wings began to burn but Eren ignored them. Even if he tore the muscles they’d heal immediately so there was no problem. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When midnight rolled around they went back inside and went to bed. Sasha and Connie would need to be up at close to four in the morning but if they wanted to survive the Wing Tournament, they needed to fly. Eren stared up at the ceiling above him. He stretched his hand out towards it. In his mind's eye he could see Hanji and Erwin smiling at him while Levi extended his hand towards him, just like he had that day when they first rescued him. He clenched his fist. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I will make my way back to them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning Eren found himself sparring with Rico who apparently knew a different form of martial arts than Jean did. And Damn was she strong. In his moment of distraction Rico grabbed his arm and swung behind him, pinning him on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow! Ow, ow, ow! I give, I give so please let go of my arm!” Rico clicked her tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remind me, who was the one who asked me to spend time during my break teaching them how to fight? And am I? Yes. So use what I’ve taught you and figure your way out.” She slowly pulled his arm tighter and Eren winced. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>close to snapping when he remembered what she had told him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There are probably other ways to get out of this but if someone’s stance isn’t stable as they try to pin you, roll to the side. They’ll have to let go in an attempt to stabilize themselves. Of course sometimes they are stable and good luck during that.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Eren tested her stance and realized that she was stable. He sighed internally before remembering that he had wings. And they had sharp feathers. Eren flicked his wings up, forcing her to let go. She grinned at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you go, use what you have to your advantage. Anything you have is fair game so long as you can break out,” Rico said. “Your wings are just different limbs of your body and while their bones are delicate they can still be used for the shock factor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is definitely not what I was expecting when I asked you to teach me how to fight,” Eren said. Rico shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to live near a fighting ring. I spent some time there, fighting for fun. And in those rings you’ll find people who will do anything to win.” Eren nodded. A bell rang and Rico cursed softly. “That’s the end of my break. Dammit. Sorry Eren, I have to get back to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” Eren said, waving his hand at her. She quickly hurried off to wherever she needed to work. Eren sighed and turned back to where Connie and Sasha had been sparring while Marco and Jean eye-fucked each other. Though they’d never admit it. Eren watched as Marco managed to flip Jean and put him on his back. A faint blush spread on Jean's cheeks as Marco straddled him. Eren looked away in case it developed into something else. Someone wolf whistled and Eren glanced in panic at Sasha and Connie who were leering at a bright pink Marco and coughing Jean. Eren grabbed them by the back of their shirts and smiled at Marco and Jean. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll leave you two alone. Have fun!” He said before dragging the two off. Connie and Sasha were laughing their heads off as Jean cursed and Marco sputtered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well done Eren, and now we head back to see if they actually do it, right?” Connie said. Eren stared at him in disgust. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell no! Who wants to see precious Marco getting drilled by a fucking horse??” Sasha cracked up again, tears of laughter streaming from her eyes. Connie laughed too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What’s this, servants neglecting their duties?” Eren felt his mood immediately drop at the snotty voice. He glanced up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These servants humbly present themselves to the unnamed noble,” Eren said sarcastically, sweeping into a mocking bow. Sasha and Connie fought back their snickers. Eren glanced up to see the noble puffing up with anger as his toad like face turned violent red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Marcus von Iridiacum. How dare you treat me like this!” Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, we have other things we need to do so you can please allow us to leave your presence?” He asked. The noble glared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you wearing your uniforms?” He sneered. Eren straightened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were the commoners chosen to participate in the Wing Tournament. So that we do not disgrace the Engeltochter house we are preparing ourselves for the competition.” The noble’s eyes widened before he snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were chosen? Oh you poor pathetic souls. I’ll pray for a peaceful death for you in the Tournament.” With that the noble walked off laughing to himself. Eren glared after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go. I’m pissed off now.” Sasha and Connie stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, don’t be surprised if that’s how we get treated. The Engeltochters are viewed as the elite family so it makes sense that the nobles like to use their abilities against us commoners. I’ve never seen anyone from the commoner team survive all the way through the Tournament. So most people view us as sacrificial subjects,” Connie said. Eren’s eyes narrowed in anger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck. That. Come on, let’s grab Marco.” They hurried to follow after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” Eren glanced back at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to learn to actually fly.” Their eyes widened and they glanced around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! You can’t just say that!” Sasha hissed. Eren turned to look back at them and they flinched at the sight of his burning green eyes. They seemed to glow with fury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to put up with this shit. Fuck that. Fuck them, I’m going to screw them over. Trust me to teach you how to survive. Remember, we have today and two more days before the start of the tournament. So I need to get you in the air before then.” Eren turned and went back. Marco and Jean were waiting for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you going to do now, Jeager?” Jean asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to do some private training,” he hissed. Jean flinched under the glare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, geeze, calm down. I’m not gonna ask what you’re doing if you’re this pissed off. I don’t have a death wish.” Eren turned and stalked out, the other three trailing after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, is this safe?” Marco asked, glancing around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to let any of you get killed by asshole nobles who only dragged you in this to hurt me.” They glanced at each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, Eren?” Eren glanced at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think about it. Who are the people I associate most?” Eren asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Us,” Connie said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who are the weakest people I associate with?” The others flinched at his comment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Us,” Sasha whispered. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which means that it’s my job to protect those who got dragged into this just for being nice to me. So I’m going to fuck those nobles over.” They stared at him as they ran towards the forest. Once they were out of sight Eren jumped onto a log and jumped off, wings spreading and carrying him into the air. They hesitated for a second but Sasha grinned and shot forward, bouncing off the log while her wings flapped at the air. Connie whooped and followed after her, shooting into the air where he looped around a branch. Marco smiled faintly and carefully took to the air. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a lot harder to maintain altitude than I thought!” Sasha said. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Today we’re working on gaining altitude and speed,” Eren said. “Currently you’re controlling how hard you flap your wings to maintain altitude but now you need to flap harder to rise. Speed is gliding quickly with wing flaps to increase speed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do this!” Connie laughed. Eren grinned and his wings flapped, shooting into the air the others took off after him, rising slower but still rising. Eren spun around the branches as if he were dancing in the sky. Together they broke the canopy. Luckily for them the sky was cloudy so they weren’t seen too well. Eren barrel rolled and grinned at the others before folding his wings against his back. Sasha screamed as Eren plummeted. Marco followed after him, hesitantly and slowly descending. Eren hit the canopy and his wings snapped open halfway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren!” Marco shouted. Eren wove delicately between the branches before rising up again and watched Marco slowly avoid the branches. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco move faster! Connie, Sasha! Get your asses down here!” He shouted. Marco jolted and swallowed nervously. Connie and Sasha came shooting down but panicked when they saw what was in front of them. Sasha immediately spread her wings all the way and yelped when she nearly crashed into a branch. Eren shot forward and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out of the way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren!” She cried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t open your wings completely when you’re diving. Open them about halfway to slow your descent and dodge objects. It will also give you sharper turns. Marco! Get up in the clouds and come back down! I want to see you all spin around these branches before the day is over!” Eren growled. Marco took off, flying into the clouds before diving back down. Connie was spinning around the tree trunks but didn’t do much else. “Connie! Get up again and come back down. Don’t just go around the trunks, practice with branches too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dammit! Fuck!” Connie shouted as he forced himself to climb up again and dive. Eren made them do this over and over again until they could easily avoid the branches when they dove. Sasha did crash into a branch - twice. And Connie face planted three times. Marco knew when to slow instinctually but he was too hesitant so he usually ended up slowing down anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you, Eren?” Connie panted as he took a break on a branch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! It’s not fair if we’re the only ones practicing!” Sasha complained. Eren smirked before shooting into the clouds faster than any of them had. They were shocked when he looped back before folding his wings completely around his back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Connie whispered. Eren shot back down like a bullet, whirling through the branches and spinning around the trunks. He went up to the canopy and repeated the movements, whirling so fast the others could barely keep track of him. He landed on the branch and grinned at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I good?” He asked. They nodded with dropped jaws and Eren hid his wince of pain as he folded his wings. Yeah, that had probably strained them. He sighed. “Do you know what kind of challenges we’ll be going through?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, there’s the combat fights with the nobles, the long distance team flight, and the power show. Those are the main three but long distance flight is worth the most points,” Marco said. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do the nobles do on that?” Eren asked. Connie scrunched his nose up and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They only win over us because of their ability to fly. They hate working together and usually our team gets the worst score on that because the main point is </span>
  <em>
    <span>teamwork</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we’re going to practice flying together. We’ll be flying as close together as possible in a diamond formation, that way we support each other.” The others were confused by that, not understanding what he meant by that but Eren continued. “To begin with, every ten minutes we’ll rotate around the diamond.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others glanced at each other in confusion but jumped into the air when Eren took off. They rose above the canopy and nervously glided around each other. Eren glanced back at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha I want you on my left. Connie you’re on my right and Marco, you’re in the center of the back.” They slowly positioned themselves where Eren directed them. Once they were practically wing tip to wing tip Eren nodded and flapped his wings. Sasha and Connie jolted as a new updraft pushed their wings up and they had to flap their wings to remain balanced. Marco did the same once he got hit by their updraft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell was that?” Connie asked. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we flap our wings, we disturb the air around us, creating an updraft around our wings as the air we pushed down escapes from under our wings. So we use our updrafts to keep each other up with minimal effort.” Connie and Sasha stared at him in shock. For the next ten minutes they practiced until they needed to rotate. Eren glanced back at them, trying to decide who still had more stamina between Sasha and Connie. Finally he decided which was best between them. “Everyone rotate clockwise. Connie you’ll head to the back, Marco move up, Sasha you’re in front and I’ll replace Connie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me??” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s switch.” Despite Sasha’s hesitance they managed to flawlessly switch places. For a few moments Sasha was hesitant with her flying but slowly got accustomed to being the leader. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought this would be a lot harder than it is,” she commented. Eren snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It shouldn’t be any different than flying on your own. Just relax and we’ll follow your lead. Remember though, don’t strain yourself.” She nodded and they sped up slightly. Eren raised an eye, wondering if she were ignoring him. About seven minutes in Sasha began to struggle. Her wing beats were weaker and she was struggling to stay up. Connie and Marco kept glancing at Eren who sighed. “Rotate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I can go to ten minutes!” Sasha protested. Eren rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’d stayed at the speed we were at the start maybe but you wanted to go faster so you have to rotate sooner. There’s a reason I maintained a specific speed,” Eren said. Sasha lowered her ear but rotated, placing Marco in the lead. Marco glanced at them to make sure they were alright and steady before he began gliding. Eren immediately slipped into gliding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco, aren’t you going to flap your wings?” Sasha asked. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want to fly farther without tiring yourself out faster then it’s better to glide than fly. Marco is actually being pretty smart.” Marco nodded and aside from a few occasional flaps he didn’t really move his wings. Flying with Marco in the lead was boring and simple but smooth and steady. Eren couldn’t decide which he valued more. When he saw Marco begin to falter, ten minutes having been long completed, Eren called the switch. “Connie, you’re in charge!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie hurriedly flew forward, almost shoving Marco out of the way. Eren stared at them worriedly as he flew on the left side. Marco fell back with a soft sigh of relief. Connie whooped eagerly as he flew to the right, pulling the whole group with him. Connie dove down and the others followed before he pulled back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, isn’t this going to strain us?” Sasha asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, this will practice our flight maneuvers. Not to mention, while climbing back up after diving is draining it also exercises us and let’s us learn how to control our dips and dives.” With that Sasha and Marco were silenced. After about ten minutes Eren began to feel his healing powers kick into action, healing his wing muscles. He winced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, let’s land. We need to head back down and rest for a bit.” Connie nodded and they slowly descended, landing on the ground. Sasha collapsed with a groan, stretching her wings behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That hurts…” she whined. Marco leaned against a tree, smiling a little at Sasha. Connie grinned as he stood straight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? I feel fine!” He laughed. Eren glanced at his shaking knees and grinned to himself. He snuck up behind Connie and slapped him on the back. Connie let out a sharp yelp before falling backwards. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, if even </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>feeling the effects of this practice, there’s no way your muscles aren’t screaming in agony.” Connie pouted at him before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. Yes, I hurt but no way am I just going to admit that,” he whined. Sasha laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re going to wait until you get smacked and release a girly shriek before admitting that you hurt? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Laaaamme.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Connie glared at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like you’re anyone to talk. You couldn’t even lead the group for ten minutes before you died!” Sasha and Connie dissolved into an argument over who was better at leading the group while Eren tuned them out as he felt his wings pang with pain. As the argument began to escalate into a shouting match, Marco stepped in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, guys, if we’re talking about who the best leader was then wasn’t it Eren?” They glanced at Marco who flinched under their eyes. “Well I mean, wasn’t he the one who taught us how to fly together and maintain a speed that we all can go at? So shouldn’t he be the best leader?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re flattering me, Marco. I’m just mimicking what my mom used to teach me. I never got to learn a lot from her but I did learn a bit.” They nodded, looking at the ground awkwardly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s right but what are we going to do about the attacks?” Connie asked. Eren blinked in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What attacks?” The others stared at him before Sasha smacked her forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right! Eren’s never seen a Wing Tournament! He doesn’t know!” They paled and Eren tilted his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’ll explain.” Marco said. Eren looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “There are three ways you can earn points in that competition. First is making it to the end of the range you’re supposed to fly over. That’s judged by how long it takes to complete it. The other two are defending and attacking. If you can fend off the attacks of others then you can get points equal to how many people attacked you. If you attack you earn points depending on how many people you knock out of the race.” Eren frowned, thinking over what he’d been told. He sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we should focus on crossing the distance and dodging attacks.” Connie tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not going to attack?” Eren shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys learned to fly about two days ago. We make for an easy target to basically anyone. Which means that attacking is too risky. We should focus on defending ourselves from their attacks. As long as we stay in the air and keep flying they don’t get any points. But I want you to remember that if the nobles from our group go after me, break away and keep going.” They stared at him in silent shock for a moment before they burst into shocked cries of disagreement. Eren held up his hand to stall the flow of discontent. “Remember that Cain is after me. I already have a target on my back and I don’t want it creeping onto the rest of you. Promise that if the nobles go after me you’ll keep going.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Sasha said. Connie whirled on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha! What the hell?? There’s no way we can abandon him!” Sasha glanced up at Connie sadly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie. Even if you don’t want to abandon me, out of all of us, I’m the one most capable of taking on the nobles. I’ll kick their asses and rejoin you guys, okay?” Marco and Connie looked down before slowly nodding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Connie whispered. “We’ll run if you get attacked.” Eren sighed in relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks. Now, we should head back before someone comes out to look for us.” They nodded and together trudged back to the castle, stretching their wings in the cover of the forest before folding them tightly against their backs. Eren stared up at the castle. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time remaining, two days. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>When Eren woke in the morning he immediately grabbed the other three and took them out for early morning flight practice. Marco was even more hesitant about diving due to the low light levels which Sasha took to it as if she were a bat rather than a bird. Connie crashed a couple of times because he would try to see everything. Eren sighed as he landed next to where Connie had crashed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, stop trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>everything. Just fly instead. Don’t worry about hitting the branches or leaves, just go.” Connie huffed as he got up, blood dripping from a couple of scratches on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is it so easy for you?” He whined. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not easy. Not in the least bit. Look at Marco for example. Instead of trying to maintain speed and see where he’s going, he reduces his speed and that gives him more time to react. Meanwhile Sasha maintains her speed but has quick reactions to when things appear around her. You on the other hand are too slow at reacting and want to maintain a fast speed. Don’t do that. Pick one or the other to work on and get back in the air!” With that Eren took off again and flew off, doing his own weighted training. Marco landed next to Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t listen to Eren, he makes everything seem easy. You’re doing fine just...you’re not trusting yourself enough.” Connie stared at Marco with a raised eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re hesitating and not trusting your reactions enough,” Sasha said as she landed next to them. Connie stared at her in confusion. She sighed and elaborated. “When you’re flying you feel something come in front of you and your instincts say to go over or around it, right? But you hesitate in that moment. Because you rely on your eyes and want to make sure the blockade actually exists.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like she said. Not to mention that you don’t want to slow down,” Marco added. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just...we’ve been deprived of this for our whole lives. Why? What purpose was there in telling us not to fly? Now that I know what it’s like...I don’t ever want to stop. I don’t want to go back to keeping my wings bound to my back, staring at the sky that stretches on forever only wishing I could fly in it.” Eren landed behind them and they turned to look at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The nobles don’t want their control threatened. Isn’t it similar to the no other flocks aside from the ones led by the nobles. If you can fly, who’s to say you can’t fly better than they can? Who’s to say you can’t take over a flock? They don’t want their power to be in danger,” he hissed. The others glanced at each other before Connie spoke again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren...were you serious about starting your own flock?” He asked. They glanced at him and Connie looked down, fists clenching. “Because...if you were...I want to join!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie stared up at Eren with determined eyes, almost glowing in the dark. Eren knew it was just in his head that Connie’s eyes were glowing but it felt real to him. That light shining in them was definitely real. He smiled and held out his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was. If you want to join, take my hand,” he said. Connie reached up and took Eren’s hand. Eren pulled him to his feet and Connie hissed with pain, turning his wrist over to look at it. Shockingly, on his wrist there was a mark. Two overlapping wings, one black and the other white. Sasha gasped in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A clan mark,” she whispered. Connie smiled and traced his fingers over the wings. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a clan mark?” Marco patted Eren’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a mark that represents being one of the original members of a flock. Anyone who’s within the first twenty will have the mark somewhere on their body. It can also transfer some of the powers of the clan leader to the other members.” Marco smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! Can I join?” Sasha asked, pushing between Marco and Eren. Marco chuckled at Eren’s shocked face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t mind Eren, I would also like to join. I get the feeling you’ll be a good clan leader.” Eren blushed pink but nodded slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yeah, you can join. I’d be happy to have you with me.” Sasha hissed and placed her hand over her heart. After the pain dimmed she pulled out her shirt and looked down the front. Connie turned scarlet and looked away, trying to cover Marco and Eren’s eyes with his hands. Sasha cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s right over my heart!” She said happily. She turned towards Marco. “What about you, Marco?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco pulled on his pant sleeve, revealing the mark to be on the inner side of his right calf. He smiled. “I felt the pain right about the same time as you. I just didn’t make as big of a deal out of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco!” Sasha cried, face turning red. Eren smiled at them, his chest warm with a strange feeling. It felt like a feeling he’d had with his mother a long time ago...when had that been?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eren, my sweet boy. Don’t worry. Mommy is going to protect you. After all, you’re one of Mommy’s precious flock members.” She kissed his forehead and Eren looked up in delight. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mommy! What a fulock membear?” He asked. She smiled at him and curled him close. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It means you’re a very important special person to me.” Wren smiled brightly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mommy! You my fulock membear too!” He said. Carla smiled softly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh sweetheart. I would love to be a member of your flock one day. I’m sure you’ll be a great clan leader. Just like your granddad.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren snapped back to the present, watching his new flock play fight with each other. Marco was trying to fend off Sasha’s attacks while Connie laughed at both of them. Eren smiled softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Mom, I wish you could see this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought, staring at the canopy. He sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, that’s enough, break it up! Let’s get back to flying practice!” He called. Immediately they split up and began their training again. All day it was flying practice, hour after hour. For lunch Sasha ended up catching a small boar that was in the woods and made it into lunch. Eren and Marco couldn’t watch as she skinned and gutted it. Marco because he was simply too soft and Eren because it brought back memories of his time in the lab. Connie on the other hand was extremely interested in how to turn a boar into food. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laughed about it and Sasha ended up teaching them about some of the local herbs that were nearby and could be used to season the meat. She was very excited to use them. So excited that while rubbing them into the meat to try and get the flavors to mix she turned her hands green. Connie laughed about that. At least he did until she grabbed some of the ones she’d already mostly used and rubbed them against his face, turning his skin green. Then he yelled at her while she laughed and threatened not to give him any of the boar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they finished with their training, it was almost midnight. Eren glanced up at the sky as they returned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One day remaining.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren! Eren, wake up, we don't have time for this!" Eren stirred to the shouting of someone. He looked up and was surprised to see Rico standing over him. He yawned and sat up, stretching his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rico? What's up?" Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everyone is to help finish preparations for the Wing Tournament, including participants. Tomorrow's the day when it actually starts and when guests will begin to arrive so everything has to be perfect!" She said, pulling him to his feet. Eren blinked blearily as she rapidly changed him, not even blinking at the fact that she could still see his ribs. When Eren focused and realized what was going on, he was already being pushed up the stairs. What he found, was pure <em>chaos. </em></span>
</p><p>Chefs and patissiers were desperately preparing food that would need to be preserved in a cold environment, preferably overnight. Sasha and Connie were working alongside them while Marco washed and dried dishes that piled up from how many people were using them. Eren took a step forward to help but got yanked back by his collar. He choked briefly before Rico loosened her grip. </p><p>"You've been placed with the maid and butler squad. Our job is to make sure that the castle is spotless and all rooms are prepared for the guests. In other words, we're on laundry and cleaning duty. You will probably be on cleaning duty. I'm counting on you to make this place sparkle," she said as she dragged him away from the kitchen. Before Eren could even realize that he had been taken out of the kitchen he was already standing in the grand entryway with a set of cleaning supplies in his hands, blinking in confusion. One of the others glanced at him. </p><p>"Hey! What are you doing?? Get to work!" Eren began polishing the banisters, mind still filled with confusion. It was like the scenes in those shows Hanji had tried to get him to watch where characters had little question marks floating around their heads. Regardless, he participated, cleaning with all his might. That day, he became known as a cleaning god to the maids and butlers. If someone spilled a liquid and stained the carpet, Eren appeared and magically removed it. When someone washed the clothes incorrectly and made them shrink rather than remain the same size, Eren restored them to their proper size. As soon as the other groups heard the tales of his miraculous performances, they all wanted a turn with him. The needle work and design group snatched him away briefly to have him tailor and fix holes in clothes that the guests could wear. The chefs and patissiers desired his endless strength that allowed him to work quickly and efficiently. The construction workers wanted his strength and stamina as they began to put together the stands for the arena. </p><p>"Woah, Eren needs to take a break for lunch so all of you can just wait your fucking turns," Rico growled as she yanked Eren away from the clamoring crowd of servants who all wanted Eren to assist with their projects. Eren collapsed and began wolfing down the sandwich Rico had given him while she watched in shock. "Damn Eren, you do realize you can say no right? There's no need to push yourself this far for these people."</p><p>Eren glanced at her before continuing to swallow his food. Rico frowned slightly as she recalled the memory of his ribs, still poking relatively clear despite the fact that he had been staying with them for a few weeks now. She handed him another two sandwiches and watched in silence as he devoured them before licking the sauce that had dripped off his fingers. She sighed and handed him a fourth sandwich. </p><p>"Be honest with me Eren, how much have you eaten?" she asked. Eren paused before biting into the sandwich. </p><p>"Probably not as much as I should've been," he mumbled. Rico sighed. </p><p>"You do realize you being half <em>starved </em>is going to affect your performance in the Tournament, right? How can you fully support your team if you're not getting the nutrients you need?" Rico scolded. Eren looked down sadly. </p><p>"It's just that the food everyone tries to feed me...it's...there's way too much of it. I can't eat that much, not after having limited portions for most of my life. Even when Levi and the others got me out of that lab, they were still careful with how much to feed me so I wouldn't have any troubles and I would be okay." Rico frowned and sat down. </p><p>"I don't think I've heard of this," she said. Eren nodded sheepishly. </p><p>"Yeah. I think the only others who know are Marco, Connie, and Sasha. I was caught as a child and viewed as a lab rat for ten years after that. I was only recently freed by a group of humans. They were...kind to me. They cared about me and took care of me, despite me being no better than a child that looked like a teenager. In the lab I was starved for months at a time and I struggled to survive. So when they rescued me, they made sure to slowly increase the amount of food I could eat and made sure it was something I could easily digest." Rico stared at him before patting his head. </p><p>"It's alright now Eren. I'm glad you found those people to help you," she said with a soft smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling a bit. Eren was surprised. Rico seemed similar to Levi in that they rarely displayed their emotions and yet somehow, despite Rico normally being an ice cold woman, her smile was undeniably warm. Eren remembered seeing his mother look at him with a similar smile on her face. He smiled back at Rico. This was...nice.</p><p>Then their moment was ruined. </p><p>"Hey, Eren! Are you done eating! Please come help us!" someone cried, barreling out from nowhere. More people pushed through the doors, crying out about how they had been the ones who were going to ask. Eren smiled. </p><p>"Sure! I'll help!" As Eren was carried off by the flow, Rico watched from where she'd been left. Rico sighed and leaned back. </p><p>"That idiot's going to get himself killed by overworking himself. Ah dammit, I'm not here to play nanny," she huffed as she stood up and began following the horde of people who were still rushing Eren from place to place.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Armin's POV</p><p><em>I can't believe I let Eren go with Kruger despite knowing both of them relatively well. I should've known better. I should've told them the truth sooner. Why am I such an idiot? </em>He internally lamented. A hand placed a cup of coffee down in front of him. Armin glanced up at Mikasa who was watching him. </p><p>"You can't blame yourself for what happened. Besides, aren't you working to help him now?" she said. Armin stared at her before nodding. </p><p>"Yeah, I guess so. I'm glad they're accepting of me despite how badly I may have hurt Eren." Mikasa nodded as she sat down next to Armin, nursing her own cup of tea. Armin smiled to himself, thinking of how crazy Levi and the others had been acting ever since they found out that Eren might be abused with Kruger. Eren may be an orphan and he may have been abused as a child, but he was truly loved by those around him. Armin smiled at that thought. </p><p>He reached to pick up his cup of coffee when his phone began to ring. He glanced at it and his eyes widened. He snatched it up and answered immediately. </p><p>"Y-yes?" he asked. He heard a soft, feminine giggle on the other side. </p><p><em>"It's a go. You and four humans will be attending the Wing Tournament as guests of the Reiss family. I've already sent you the tickets via online transmission. I hope you've already packed your things because your flight leaves tomorrow." </em>Armin's eyes widened. </p><p>"Geez, you're always such a sadist," he whine playfully. He heard laughter on the other side. </p><p><em>"Well, that's only to be expected. Just make sure to get here, alright? It took a lot to get father on board with this and he's already unhappy with the fact that I'm also going to be visiting the Valkyrie heir while we're there. This is as much as I can do for now. Make it count Armin." </em>Armin grinned. </p><p>"Yes ma'am!" He heard laughter over the phone. </p><p><em>"Call me when you get to Ireland. It might be fun to meet up. Isn't that right, former heir of the Arlert clan?" </em>Armin groaned. </p><p>"Don't bring that up again. You know our flock disbanded, I'm not the heir to anything anymore." The laughter on the other side was sweet and innocent, much like the person laughing. </p><p><em>"Alright, alright. Just get here and we'll go from there. See you soon." </em>With that the caller hung up but Armin knew he had someone else to call too. Mikasa had already gotten up and was packing their things as he dialed the number he'd become too familiar with from the frequent calls he got. The person picked up on the third ring. </p><p><em>"This better be fucking important, brat, for you to call me at three in the fucking morning right after I've fallen asleep." </em>Armin braced himself before speaking. </p><p>"We've got a way to the Wing Tournament, our flight leaves tomorrow, so be ready. We're going to get him and bring him home." Immediately he heard the sound of the person getting out of bed and darting around the room. </p><p><em>"Good job. Now hang up so I can call shitty glasses and eyebrows to tell them. What time does the flight leave? If you don't know now, send us a text in the group chat." </em>Armin grinned. </p><p>"Yes sir," he said, hanging up the phone. He smiled at his reflection. </p><p>
  <em>I'm finally going to do something about Kruger. As much as I can, I'm going to get revenge for him destroying Grandpa's flock. Get ready Kruger, here we come.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Wing Tournament Day 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The first day of the Wing Tournament:<br/>     Greet the guests.<br/>     Pick a fight with Kruger.<br/>     See some old friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren was woken up early by Sasha who needed his help preparing breakfast for the guests who would be arriving all throughout the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t the tournament start today?” He asked as he stirred the rice pudding. Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Officially the tournament starts today but in all honesty this is just a day for the flocks to introduce their participants and show off all their strengths. You’ll see the nobles being all flashy and obvious with their powers today. They like to rub it in,” she huffed as she slid a tray of cinnamon rolls into the oven. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, they’ll introduce us a bit but we’ll pretty much be glanced over by everyone,” Connie said over the hissing of the sausages he was cooking. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How come?” He asked. Connie snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because we don’t have any special powers, that’s why. We’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. At most we’ll get pity.” Eren glared at the pudding and stirred harder. It frustrated him that they were viewed as sacrifices but no one paid attention to them. Rico popped her head into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys,it’s time to dress you up. Guests will be arriving in twenty minutes.” Sasha sighed and paused in arranging the cinnamon rolls. She tapped a button on the wall and spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cooking squad B, you’re needed in the kitchen.” They waited as more people filed in and took over the tasks the others had been doing flawlessly. Sasha sighed but gestures for the others to follow her and Rico. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. We’re going with a more modern appearance this year so it should look good on you guys,” Rico said. She frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your wings will be allowed out like normal but don’t think of even twitching them until the tournament really starts. The nobles are going to be spreading their wings and drawing as much attention so let them have their pissing contest.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do they spread their wings?” He asked, tilting his head. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because the larger your wings are, the more ‘important’ you are. So they want to prove that they’re the most important because their wings are the biggest. That’s why they don’t want us opening our wings because as long as your wings are folded, they appear smaller and therefore more contrasting. It helps make the nobles' wings appear even larger.” Eren frowned and glared at the floor as they entered. The specialists took one look at him and their jaws dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh he is just adorable!!!” One of them shrieked, grabbing Eren’s cheeks. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maria, please back up. You’re making Eren uncomfortable.” The woman backed up with a dreamy sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he’s just so perfect! Right Rose?” She asked, turning to another girl. The girl glanced up from her phone and looked over them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maria, you know I’m a hair stylist. I don’t care about their bodies and their hair is less than what I’d like.” Maria sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sina, you agree with me don’t you?” Sina looked over at them from where she was organizing her makeup. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can definitely work with their faces.” Maria sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. You? You’re first,” she purred as she pointed at Eren. Eren felt a shiver run down his spine. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maria, just pick the clothes and he can put them on himself.” Maria pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But how can I tailor them to him if I don’t see his </span>
  <em>
    <span>body</span>
  </em>
  <span>??” She said. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a good body.” Maria sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, because I’m not about to touch someone unwilling, I’ll let him wear the clothes on his own.” She went into the back and searched through the clothes she’d brought. “Ah, here we are!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She came out with a black suit with a dark green button up shirt that would compliment Eren’s eyes. She grinned at him as she smoothed the fabric. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This should suit you just fine. Now go change!” She pushed it into his hands and pushed him into a small area that was covered by curtains. Eren peeked his head out, looking at the others. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just change clothes, Eren.” Eren disappeared and they heard the shuffling of fabric. When he came out their jaws dropped. The black of the suit seemed to absorb the light, drawing attention to him. The green seemed even brighter against it, practically glowing. Though it seemed to pale compared to his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How...how do I look?” Eren asked. Maria smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think of him now, Rose?” She purred. Rose stared at him before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t decide whether I should give him styled messy hair or slicked back hair,” she sighed. She looked at him and shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll have to improvise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushed Eren into a chair and immediately grabbed her scissors and comb. She grinned at him as she wrapped the bib over his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, what should I do with you?” Maria grabbed Sasha and pushed her into the changing stall. Sasha let out a little help as the curtains fell closed behind them. Eren was pushed out of his seat and sent over to Sina after Maria had styled his hair. He ended up with a kind of messy slicked back hair. Sina nodded a bit when she took in his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For once you two gave me something good to work with. Alright pretty boy, let’s see if I can perfect this work of art.” Eren followed her directions to close his eyes and let her ‘work her magic’ on him. It was weird to feel something brushing against his eyelids. “Open your eyes. Don’t blink no matter how close I get.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren opened his eyes and was horrified to see a strange, spiky brush covered in black hoop approach his eyes. He bit his lip in an effort not to close his eyes. She began running the brush through his eyelashes. It made them feel sticky and thick but he didn’t say anything. Once she was apparently done she kicked him out of the seat so Sasha could have her turn with her. Sasha ended up in a beautiful purple colored dress with a leather corset around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in her usual ponytail but there was a bit more neat look to it. Connie was wearing a dark grey suit that brought out the gold of his eyes and Rose seemed bored, since she couldn’t do anything with Connie’s buzz cut. Marco stepped out from behind the curtains in a black suit that made his hair appear even darker. Rose pushed Connie out of the seat and sat Marco down, quickly combing and arranging his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eren,” Rico said. Eren turned to her in surprise. She smiled. Eren shifted uneasily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Rico nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The girls did a great job with you. You might outshine some of the nobles. Which I’m sure these three were told </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do,” Rico said, raising her voice at the end. The girls snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, we just did the best we could with what we were given. You wouldn’t want us to shame the Engeltochter house by making them look worse than any of the other house competitors?” Sina asked with a smirk. Rose laughed as she finished with Marco’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it really so strange that it’s easier to make these guys look good than those brutes?” Maria nodded before sighing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those nobles have no taste in appearance. They’re meatheads. If anything, they will look the worst because they wanted to look the flashiest. What did they think they were dressing up for, the Hunger Games?” She snorted. Eren tilted his head but shrugged. Rico sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. And while you’ve done just fine on these three, you went all out on Eren.” Sasha finally glanced at Eren before her jaw dropped. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with what I look like?” Sina smirked and passed Eren a hand mirror. He held it up and looked in it. His eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eye lashes were so dark and thick, longer than he’d thought possible. They actually cast shadows and provided incredible contrast to his eyes. The eyeshadow he had was a dark green with specks of gold that brought out the brilliant color of his eyes. The eyeliner made his eyes appear more sharp and fierce. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” He asked in shock, staring at himself. Sina smirked as she took the mirror back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to have at least one incredible one. If the nobles insist on looking bad then we won’t let them tear down our reputation by having the others look good.” Rico sighed. Marco stood from the chair now that Sina was done working on his makeup. Rico glanced them over before nodding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Ladies, thank you for your work. The rest of you, let’s go. If we hurry we can get there before they open the doors for the guests.” They hurried through the halls, cursing their restrictive clothes. A massive spiral staircase would lead them to the path that went to the main hall. Rico cursed and sat on the railing, sliding down. Eren jumped off the top step, spreading his wings and gliding down. Connie went after him then Sasha jumped after him. Marco went last, maintaining space between Sasha and him perfectly. Rico stared at them as they landed at the foot of the steps. Eren glanced at her before continuing on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not now.” Rico nodded and they hurried into the main hall, taking up their position on the opposite side of the hallway as the nobles. The nobles rolled their eyes as they noted how late they’d arrived. Kruger sneered at Eren before turning and nodding to those managing the doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let in our guests,” he ordered. They pushed open the massive doors and Eren watched as the people came in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>First strode in a tall girl with brown hair and narrowed eyes. Her wings were dark brown but she wore silver armor and her wings were dyed blood red on the edges. Behind her was an older man with gray hair and brown wings with silver edges. Kruger bowed to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I greet the head and heir of the Valkyrie clan; Arthur and Ymir.” The girl, Ymir, sneered at him as she stalked past Kruger. Her eyes flicked dismissively over the noble competitors before glancing at them. She paused as she stared at Eren but continued on. Eren wondered what that was about. Once everyone from the Valkyrie family had entered, the doors closed again. The nobles lowered their wings and groaned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so painful to hold for that long,” they sighed. Eren frowned. It had barely been ten minutes since this whole thing began. Why were they already tired? He shrugged it off, deciding it was more important to focus on who was arriving than the nobles. A knock on the door rang out and the nobles straightened, wings rising again. The door opened and this time there were four people who entered first. Kruger bowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I humbly greet the heads and heirs of the Hoover and Braun families; Andrew, Bruce, Reiner, and Bertolt.” Eren studied them. The younger ones were in front of the heads just like last time. A big brawny blonde with large golden wings and a skinny, tall brunette with big plain brown wings. The brunette nodded to Kruger while the blonde simply smiled at him. They didn’t even spare them a glance as they walked past. The Braun and Hoover families came in while Eren maintained a blank stare as he looked forward. It took ten minutes before there was another knock on the door. The doors opened and Kruger bowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I humbly greet the Reiss head and heir; Rod and Historia.” Eren stared at the petite blonde girl with white gold wings. Oddly enough, her bright blue eyes seemed cunning and serious. They flicked straight to him and narrowed, a small smile flicking over her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve also brought some guests,” she said. Kruger frowned and Historia stepped back, allowing a hooded person to step forward. “I present Armin Arlert, former heir to the Arlert flock and his current flock members.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren’s jaw dropped as Armin pulled back his hood, revealing serious blue eyes. Armin smiled pleasantly at Kruger who had a disgusted forced smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure to see you again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>temporary</span>
  </em>
  <span> head of the Engeltochter flock,” he said. Kruger glared at him while Armin smiled innocently. Eren stared at him in surprise. What the hell was Armin doing here?? And he was a former heir of the Arlert clan?? What. The. Fuck?? Kruger glared at him but bowed his head to Armin nonetheless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome, former heir of the Arlert flock,” he spat out. Eren glanced between them. It seemed there was some history between them. Armin looked away from Kruger, eyes flicking across the nobles before landing on Eren. A smile split his face and he ran forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you!” He said, clasping Eren’s hands in his. Eren glanced between Armin and Kruger, confused as to how he should react. Armin turned his head back towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ignore that stuffy old man.” Eren focused on Armin who seemed smug that he had Eren’s attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that about a former heir??” He asked. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There actually used to be six major flocks. The sixth was the Arlert flock, the flock that my grandfather led. For…</span>
  <em>
    <span>reasons</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was disbanded and most of the flock members either became flock less or joined another. It was… bad. Sorry for not telling you about it,” he said. Eren stared at Armin before patting his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it! It’s fine.” Armin smiled sadly at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. But Eren, why are your wings folded? Isn’t this when the flocks are supposed to display their strength, often displayed by their wings?” Armin asked. Eren flinched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t. The Engeltochters have a rule that those who aren’t nobles can’t use their wings,” he said, staring at the floor. He could feel Kruger and the other nobles glaring holes into him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s stupid. No wonder most of the commoner teams they send out end up dead by the end of the Wing Tournament,” a voice called. Eren looked up and saw the Valkyrie heir leaning over the railing above him. Her eyes stared straight at him, piercing him in place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve always wondered why the commoner Engeltochter participants died in the tournament,” another voice spoke up. Eren looked to the right, noting that the Braun and Hoover heirs were watching them. The blonde grinned at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wonder why they’re not allowed to use their wings? Is it perhaps because the nobles are embarrassed to be compared to the commoners? Scared their wings will be smaller?” Historia asked, a cunning smirk on her lips. Eren glanced over at Kruger, noting how he was practically shaking from rage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-why don’t we see?” The Hoover heir spoke up. They looked at him and he flinched. “I-I mean...why don’t we see w-who has larger wings?” Armin grinned viciously from where Kruger couldn’t see him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure! That’s a great idea, Bertolt! What do you think, Kruger?” Armin asked. Kruger glared at him, his face a bright red. But as much as he hated the idea of revealing their wings, with four heirs all wanting it, there wasn’t much he could do against it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. You four, spread your wings.” They glanced at each other before spreading their wings. Sasha had a ten foot wingspan, matching some of the nobles. Connie had a nine and a half foot wingspan, something he hated since it meant that he couldn’t match Sasha. Marco had a twelve foot wingspan, already larger than some of the nobles. Eren opened his about halfway while hiding the fact they were only half open. Armin smiled at him and Eren shivered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, what are you doing? You should open them all the way. Isn’t it painful to keep them folded all the time? Stretch your wings.” Eren looked down before he sighed and stretched them out. The nobles’ jaws dropped as they took in the sight of his twenty foot wingspan. Eren stared straight at them, internally going </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck it. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” the Valkyrie heir said, whistling softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s big enough to match the flock leaders,” the Braun heir said with a raised eyebrow. Eren tilted his head in confusion. Armin smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Usually becoming a flock leader causes intense growth in the wings. The larger the flock, the larger the wings.” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ymir, I’m surprised to see you in your armor,” Armin commented. The Valkyrie heir, Ymir, grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m participating in the tournament so I wanted to look good for Historia,” she said with a smirk. Historia smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look really good Ymir, really strong!” Historia said with a smile. Ymir smiled victoriously at the Braun heir. The blonde sighed but smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ymir, do you still think there’s some kind of competition between us? Relax, I’ve got Bertolt.” Ymir huffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying you don’t want Historia?” She hissed, wings spreading furiously. The blonde held up his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want and have are two different things. Besides, I wouldn’t trade Bertolt for anything.” His arm snaked around the brunette’s waist and pulled but against him. Bertolt blushed and his wings came up around his face, hiding his red face from view. Historia snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reiner, don’t tease him,” she laughed. She turned to Armin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to go hand out with these three. You should hang out with your friend and catch up, she said with a wave of her hand. Armin nodded and his hooded members moved forward as he pulled Eren along. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on! Let’s go, there’s so much we need to chat about!” Armin said happily. Eren glanced back at the others, worried that Kruger would take his frustrations out on them once he was gone. To his shock, they were following him. Sasha grinned at him and Eren reluctantly plodded after Armin. Armin walked quickly to the guest rooms, causing Eren to wonder how he knew where they were. Then he remembered that Armin had been here before. Armin pulled him into the first room on the left, practically throwing Eren across the room. Eren staggered and stared at Armin with a long suffering smile. The others filed in and once the door was shut, Eren spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you were a flock leader, Armin.” Armin snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s because I’m not. I just figured you would want to see these guys,” he said, gesturing for the others to take their hoods off. Eren’s jaw dropped as familiar faces appeared. Erwin smiled at him and Hanji grinned victoriously but Eren only had eyes for the third member. A familiar head of black hair appeared and silver eyes looked up at him. Levi smirked at him while Eren stood there in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong, brat? Cat got your tongue?” As soon as he spoke, the chains holding Eren back turned to dust and he lunged forward, wings carrying him towards Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi!!” He shouted eagerly, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Levi accepted the brunt force and somehow remained standing. Eren’s wings folded around Levi, pulling him even closer. Levi raised an eyebrow and softly chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss me, brat?” Eren laughed and his wings lifted higher, hiding the fact that he was crying from the others. Levi’s smile fell a bit and he reached up and wiped away Eren’s tears. Eren stared at him in shock and Levi smirked, making his silver eyes gleam with an almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>heated </span>
  </em>
  <span>look. Eren blushed faintly as he realized how close they were. As if realizing that Eren was about to back away, Levi grinned teasingly and wrapped an arm around Eren’s waist. Their passionate reunion was interrupted by a delighted scream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look! Look Erwin, </span>
  <em>
    <span>look!</span>
  </em>
  <span> His wings really are turning gold and silver! I told you that was real!” Hanji shrieked. Immediately Eren pulled away and pinned his wings behind his back, out of sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So they did,” Erwin said, staring at Eren with a puzzled curious look. Hanji was ecstatic, trying to get to his wings while Levi was standing there, watching Eren. He glanced at the others and was surprised by their reactions. Armin was glancing between Levi and Eren with a stunned expression, like an old lady who had heard a five year old curse. Marco was blushing but didn’t say anything. Sasha and Connie were leering at Eren and making kissy faces at him. Eren blushed and hid behind his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that this isn’t amusing, it is, but how have you been Eren? Have you been treated well?” Levi asked. Eren lowered his wings, glad for the safer topic to speak about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Everyone’s been really nice!” He said. Armin raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Kruger was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice </span>
  </em>
  <span>to you?” He seemed suspicious of it and Eren couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. Sasha barked with laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if! He sleeps in the basement, got picked on by the nobles, and is even a participant in this fucking tournament because Kruger and the nobles have it out for him,” she said, ignoring Eren desperately waving at her to </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut the hell up, stop, don’t tell them</span>
  </em>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” A dark voice caused shivers to caress Eren’s spine. He couldn’t bring himself to turn around and face the short raven. Levi glared at Eren’s back, noting how the boy's wings fluttered nervously. Eren turned slowly, shivering when he practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>saw </span>
  </em>
  <span>the black cloud hanging around Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone else is really nice! Like Sasha, and Connie, and Marco, and Rico, and even Jean! I’m just fine!” Levi stared at him suspiciously and Eren sighed with relief, turning back to glare at Sasha. Once he did that, hands slipped under his shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you getting enough to eat? You don’t seem to have filled out more from when I last saw you,” Levi said, fingers tracing over each rib he could feel. Eren blushed bright red and his wings flapped, pushing Levi away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi! Personal space please!” He said, face bright pink. Levi tilted his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? I’m just making sure you’re healthy or at least getting healthier,” he said. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re doing it in a very...</span>
  <em>
    <span>strange </span>
  </em>
  <span>way.” Levi tilted his head so Sasha spoke up to clarify. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He means you’re doing it in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sexually arousing </span>
  </em>
  <span>manner,” she purred. Levi raised an eyebrow and Eren blushed, wrapping his wings around himself. Eren felt hands land on his shoulders and he jumped. A feeling of dread settled throughout him and he shivered, head slowly turning to face whoever has grabbed him. A pair of gleaming glasses appeared in front of his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren? Why don’t you and I have a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>chat</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Hanji said, a creepy grin covering her face. A soft coughing that had been a background noise became a painful hacking noise. Eren turned and looked at Armin who was doubled over, choking on something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to him?” Levi asked. Marco glanced up, hand patting Armin’s back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he choked on his own saliva. You guys are...hard to watch for us more reserved people.” Connie snorted at that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Reserved enough to straddle your boyfriend in the middle of the courtyard where everyone can see,” he teased. Marco turned pink and looked away. Levi raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The adventurous type huh?” Marco turned bright red and hid behind his wings. Sasha and Connie snickered. Hanji tapped Eren’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what’s this about you participating in the Wing Tournament?” They asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, my name got drawn so I’m going to be participating. I don’t have a say in it.” Armin stared at the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s convenient.” Eren glanced at Armin in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s convenient about that? The nobles are going to be trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t get why you’re happy about that,” Eren said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I was already planning on taking down Kruger so as long as we reveal your lineage in front of all the major houses, Kruger will lose his position as flock leader and it will automatically go to you,” Armin said. Marco and Connie frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Armin glanced at them in surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren hasn’t told you?” Eren looked down. Armin sighed. “Eren is the son of Carla Engeltochter, the true heir of the flock. Until she or her child is found Kruger remains in control of the Engeltochter. But once her or her child is found out the control will immediately go to them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it possible for someone to be in charge of two flocks?” Connie asked. Armin thought about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so. Because that means that your attention is divided between the flocks and that isn’t good for either flock.” Eren flinched and looked away. Noting Eren’s reaction, Armin became suspicious. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because...Eren already has his own flock.” Armin stared at him in confusion.  Connie pulled his sleeve back and showed his wrist. Armin gaped at the overlapping wings. He glanced between Eren and the mark. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren...this is...you have your own clan mark?” Eren tilted his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Why does it matter if he does? Isn’t that normal?” Sasha asked. Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really. The reason the ‘noble’ flocks don’t accept any other flocks being formed is because there is no mark that shows up.” Eren blinked in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” He asked. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only nobles can have a clan mark and even then only one out of a hundred are capable of forming a mark. True, the mark only shows up on the first twenty but that mark will stay even after death. In the past fifty years there have only been three who were able to make the mark appear. But those people were forced to disappear ages ago.” Armin looked down at the floor. “Even though I am also a noble, I can’t manifest the mark of my grandfather's clan. Usually the mark is the same unless it is a complete split from the original flock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But how do you know who the clan leader is?” Eren asked. Armin sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because they’re the one who match the mark.” They stared at him in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell does that mean?” Levi asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your wings match the mark right? That’s how we know. Even my grandfather’s mark matched his wings,” Armin explained. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean there will be people who want to get rid of me for this?” Eren asked, glancing at his other flock members. He was fine if people targeted him, he was used to that. But he couldn’t have the others getting hurt because of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, if we’d gone along with my plan of putting you in charge of the Engeltochter flock, there definitely would’ve been those who wanted to get rid of you,” Armin said. Eren looked down. In other words, people would want him gone either way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are we dwelling over these fucking depressing topics? You can’t stop them from wanting to get rid of you, right? So there’s no point in thinking about it,” Levi said. Eren glanced at him and smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, Levi. But how have you guys been? It’s been a bit since we’ve seen each other.” Levi smiled faintly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looking for you after this idiot blonde told us the truth about Kruger.” Eren flushed and smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks. That...kind of...makes me happy,” he mumbled. They stared at him in silence as he fidgeted nervously, an embarrassed blush on his face. A squeal echoed through the room and Hanji lunged at Eren. He slammed his head against the wall as they fell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren!” Levi cried, shooting forward. In the blink of an eye Levi grabbed Hanji and flung them across the room. There was a slamming noise as Hanji crashed head first into the wall. Eren blinked blearily as his vision spun. Levi stared worriedly at him. “Are you alright?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, I’m fine. I just need a second to heal. More importantly, is Hanji alright?” He asked. Levi clicked his tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if that would keep that shitty four eyes down.” Hanji sat up, completely ignorant to the blood dripping from her nose. Eren squinted, trying to focus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they bleeding?” He asked suspiciously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Levi said. Eren stared at him suspiciously. Levi relented. “They just might be leaking a bright red fluid from their nose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t that mean they’re bleeding?” Eren asked, glaring at Levi. Levi sighed before looking Eren dead in the eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no regrets,” he said. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. As long as Hanji’s fine, I don’t care.” Hanji pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worry about me a bit more please,” they said. Eren rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not badly injured, right?” Hanji pouted but didn’t reply to the question. There was a slight hissing noise and steam rose from Eren’s head before he blinked a few times and straightened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’m good.” Then he glanced at Marco and Connie who were staring at him in shock. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren...you’re a noble?” Eren raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you miss the whole part about me being the legitimate heir to the Engeltochter flock? Or the fact that my mother was Carla Engeltochter?” He asked. They paused and then Connie laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That part completely slipped my mind. Sorry about that Eren!” Eren sighed and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now then, we need to help you guys prepare for the Tournament tomorrow. After all, how many of you know how to fly?” Armin said. Connie snorted and Sasha smiled knowingly at Armin. Armin frowned. “What? Did I say something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We all know how to fly,” Marco said. Armin's jaw dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What??”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren taught us because he didn’t want his teammates to die in the Tournament. Sure we’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>the best</span>
  </em>
  <span> at flying, but it’s still better than not being able to fly at all.” Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you can win?” They all shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got about a fifty fifty chance to win. After all, for the most part we’re putting our bets on the long distance flight competition,” Connie said. Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why that one?” He asked. Sasha laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously because we don’t have any powers that would help us against the nobles. We know a bit of hand to hand combat but other than that if we get into a direct fight with them, we’re fucked,” she said, shaking her head. Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you do realize that the fighting starts first?” Armin asked. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we know. How many years do you think we’ve lived here and watched the tournament happen?” He spat. Armin flinched. Before Connie could start to fight with Armin; Marco stepped in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now now, we also know that while the nobles will beat and hurt their opponents there are rules against breaking wing bones and killing the opponent,” he said. Connie huffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but what about the rest of the body, huh? What if they crack our skull and leave us comatose? How are we supposed to participate then?” He asked. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie stop being negative, you’ll make us all feel bad and we don’t need that the day before the Tournament really starts,” Eren scolded. Connie looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, don’t worry. If you’re all part of Eren’s first twenty then you gain the abilities of a noble!” Armin said. They stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems a little convenient,” Levi said, speaking up again. Eren nodded and Armin flinched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s not immediate. The first power to show up will be the healing ability. It won’t be quite as drastic as the other nobles who’ve been that way all their lives, but it will still be more than the average human or winged person. Once your healing powers are up to the level of a true noble, then you will start to develop your other power. You know the one that would be divided into the classes?” They nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems a lot less convenient but less suspicious,” Levi said. Armin sighed in relief. Even when he had only seen Levi as a person with Eren, he’d been terrifying. Now to be working with him? It was nerve racking. He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now then, you guys should get some rest for tomorrow if you don’t have any other duties for the day.Um, Sasha, do you think you could help Eren take his makeup off?” Sasha grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave it to me!” She said with a nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I guess we’ll head out,” Eren said, his voice becoming sad. Levi glanced at him and what he saw yanked at what few heartstrings he had left. Eren was staring at the floor with sad eyes and maybe it was Levi’s imagination but he thought he saw puppy ears flat against Eren’s head. He sighed and reached over to pat the boy's head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax Eren, we’ll still be here tomorrow. We’ll try to see you before the Tournament starts, alright?” Eren stared at him and nodded, smiling despite how sad he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay!” Levi patted his head and then stopped, standing out of the way so Eren could leave. Eren and the others left quickly and Levi felt sad for some reason. When he turned around, all the people in the room were staring knowingly at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Do I have something on my face?” He growled. Hanji grinned creepily. They nudged Erwin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erwin, did you see? Please tell me you saw what I saw,” they said mischievously. Erwin nodded sagely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did indeed see the same thing, Hanji. I do believe that Levi seemed a little lonely there.” Armin blinked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so does that mean I’m the only one who saw an abandoned kitten?” Armin asked. The others stared at him before Hanji burst out laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> to describe it! Well done Armin!” They cheered. Levi glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are you going on about?” He hissed. They glanced at each other before Hanji grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No~thing!” They said simultaneously. Levi glared at them. He sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. Don’t bug me, I’m going to bed.” They watched as Levi stalked into another room before snickering to themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This will be fun to watch,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Erwin thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I look forward to what you’ll show me. </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. First Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Tournament begins and they will have their first fight!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren woke up early the first day of the tournament. He jumped up after hearing someone bustling about in the basement. His wings snapped open defensively and the chefs stared at him in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren!” Sasha called from the stairs. “Let’s go, we have to pick up our uniforms and get to the arena!” Eren tossed on his shirt and pants before bolting up the stairs. Once all the way up Sasha grabbed his arm and jerked him out of the way of the chefs, passing him into the arms of a waiting Rico. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rico took off with Eren frozen from shock in her arms. She skidded to a stop in front of a set of stairs and looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie! Catch!” She shouted, hurling Eren down the stairs. Eren let out a soft squeak of fear before he landed in Connie’s arms. Immediately after Eren landed, Connie took off. He charged through the halls before opening the door to a balcony and going up to the edge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco! Get him to Maria, Rose, and Sina!” Connie shouted. Connie dropped him down into Marco’s waiting hands before Marco ran inside. Marco practically kicked a door in when he ran to the stylists. They looked up and immediately took in Eren’s disheveled state. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put him here!” Rose said, pointing at a chair in the middle of the room. Eren was dropped gracelessly into the chair and immediately Rose and Sina began working on his makeup and hair. As soon as they were done, Maria pulled him to his feet and handed him a jumpsuit to put on. Eren went behind the curtains in confusion and stepped into the dark blue and emerald green jumpsuit. It seemed baggy on him once he finished zipping up the back. Maria pulled him out and grabbed a little circle on the lower back. She opened it and hooked a tube to it. When she turned it on, Eren yelped as the air was sucked out. The suit shrank until it was skin tight and he finally took a look at himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once against his hair was half messy, half slicked back while his eyes had emerald eyeshadow. The suit actually looked incredible with the streaks of green sliding down his sides before disappearing into the dark blue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, now you need to head onto the arena, right? Get going!” Marco grabbed Eren’s hand and together they ran to the arena where Connie and Sasha were already waiting. They stood on the pedestals that had their names on the far left. Eren was furthest left and he was surprised to realize that all the others were also wearing the same jumpsuit as him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I sleep in or something?” He asked Connie who was standing to the right of him. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but the tournament starts early and as the hosts commoner team we are required to be here first. Our noble team will be arriving last though,” Connie said. Sasha clicked her tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucky bastards,” she hissed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha!” Marco whispered. She shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I’m right, aren’t I? We have to be up early in order to stand here for who knows how long and they get to sleep in, eat breakfast, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>then </span>
  </em>
  <span>come here? It’s not fair.” Eren looked down, hearing his stomach rumble. His hands began to feel slimy and sticky so he turned them over to look at them. To his surprise, the green slime was on them. He hadn’t seen that since his days in the laboratory. He figured it was a good opportunity to ask the others about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys?” He asked, scooping a bit of the slime onto his finger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it normal to form green slime from your palms when you’re hungry?” He said before sticking his finger in his mouth and sucking up the slime. Odd, this time it was more sour than sweet but when he ate it he felt like he’d suddenly gained more energy. Connie stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” He asked, eyeing him weirdly. Eren held out his hands for him to see and they stared in surprise at the bright green slime on his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Sasha asked. Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know but it supplements food if I don’t get enough. So if I don’t have anything to eat and this stuff appears, I eat it.” He sucked the slime off his middle finger while still holding out his hand to them. He was shocked when he felt something swipe across his palm. He glanced over at Connie, watching in surprise as Connie stuck his slime covered finger in his mouth. He frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of sour,” he said. Eren shrugged and turned back to his other hand as Sasha swiped a finger through the slime. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s usually more sweet.” Sasha sucked on it and frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Odd, I don’t feel any more full.” Eren shrugged. He finished licking his fingers and glanced up at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you guys done?” He asked. Marco swiped a finger through the slime and licked at it. He tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It kind of tastes citrusy,” he said. Eren pulled his hand back and licked the remaining slime off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So how long are we going to be standing here?” He asked. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anywhere from ten minutes to an hour.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that super unfair?” Sasha and Connie both sighed while Marco smiled long-sufferingly. Eren glared at the castle where he was sure the other nobles were enjoying waking up slowly and eating a large breakfast. Then Eren noticed that he could hear a soft thudding sound in the background. He tilted his head and turned to look to the right. A few moments later Levi came jogging around the corner. He came to a stop when he spotted them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you guys all doing out here?” He asked. Eren’s gaze flicked over Levi’s form. He was wearing a black tank top that clung to his frame, revealing perfectly formed abs. His pants were either leggings or some sort of super tight pants as they nearly revealed </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>what Levi was packing. A soft wolf whistle dragged him out of his thoughts and Eren blushed, whirling to look at the others. Connie and Sasha were leering at him. Sasha brought her thumb and pointer together to form a hole while Connie stuck his pointer finger through it. Eren blushed and his wings fluttered nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re um, preparing for the Tournament?” Eren stammered, his face pink. Levi was smirking at him, undoubtedly having seen Connie and Sasha’s gestures. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” He purred. Eren flushed darker and swallowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, rather, we’re waiting for it to start. Um, what are you doing here, Levi?” Levi fought back a chuckle and stretched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was doing my morning run. Don’t tell me you forgot about that?” He said. Eren tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I remember that,” he said nervously. The corner of Levi’s lips twitched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you wouldn’t, because you were always asleep when I did my run.” Eren blushed when he realized that Levi had been messing with him. He pouted at the older man who simply smirked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be mean, Levi.” The older man chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a warning Mr Levi, Kruger is very anti-human so you might want to remain beneath your cloak to hide the lack of wings,” Marco said. Levi nodded his head to Marco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the tip kid. Anyway, I should get back to my room. Otherwise Erwin and Hanji will wonder where I’ve gone.” Eren’s wings dropped and his small smile disappeared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to leave already?” He asked sadly. Levi glanced at him before he reached over and ruffled Eren’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t act all sad and pathetic Eren. I’m expecting you to put on a good show for me. Make sure to kick all those shitty nobles’ asses, okay?” Eren blinked up at him and a grin covered his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay!” He said, wings lifting again. Levi walked away and Eren stayed smiling after him. A soft snicker drew his attention back to the others behind him. Connie and Sasha were leering at him while Marco smiled understandingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s so obvious,” Sasha snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such a child,” Connie added. Eren puffed up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a child!” He protested. Connie and Sasha cracked up laughing while Marco smiled at all of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end they stood there for around forty minutes, shivering slightly as the wind blew through the slowly filling pitch. Most of the newcomers were normal citizens or servants who came early to get the best seats they could. After about forty minutes the Braun contestants appeared. The heir glanced up at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re here early!” He said, waving at them. Eren waved back. He came over and Eren glanced at his team. All the nobles were big and brawny while the servants had a lean body type. “When did you guys get here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About forty minutes ago,” Connie said irritably. The Braun heir stared at him in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?? That’s ridiculous, your nobles aren’t even out yet!” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah they’ve got some stupid tradition about having the servant team be the first ones there and then our noble team comes last,” she said. The Braun heir glared at the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s bullshit! You’re all from the same flock, why do they treat you so differently? It’s stupid! I’m Reiner, by the way.” Connie grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie Springer! Nice to meet you! This is Sasha and those two are Eren and Marco.” Reiner smiled warmly at Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem like a good guy to me, I hope you survive this competition.” Connie’s face paled at the reminder of what they were going up against. Then Sasha glanced behind them and grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Reiner, look who just entered the pitch,” she said slyly. Reiner glanced back and they saw his eyes light up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry guys, I gotta go,” he said. Sasha smiled and waved goodbye as Reiner hurried over to the tall brunette who had come with his team. Reiner wrapped an arm around the taller boy’s waist and pulled him against him. The Hoover heir turned bright pink and his wings flapped nervously. Reiner let go of him and pulled him over to them. “Guys, this is Bertolt. Bertolt this is Connie, Sasha, Marco, and Eren!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-nice to meet you,” Bertolt said, sweating nervously. Sasha smiled warmly at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you, Bertolt, I’m Sasha!” Reiner smiled brightly and pulled Bertolt against him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bert, they’ve been standing out here for almost forty minutes, can you believe that? What kinds of pieces of shit are their nobles??” Reiner said. Bertolt stared at them sympathetically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that,” he murmured. Connie waved his hand, dismissing the apology. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, it’s not your fault. Those shitty nobles in our flock are the ones responsible for this. You don’t need to apologize for something you can’t control.” Bertolt faintly smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yo, what’s going on here?” Someone asked as they landed with a flutter of brown wings. Silver armor gleamed and Reiner grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Ymir!” The Valkyrie heir grinned smugly at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s with this? Are we all collecting over here?” She asked. Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to talk to the members of Engeltochter’s servant team. Seems they’ve been standing out here for some forty minutes! Can you believe nobles would do that?” He said incredulously. Ymir snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh </span>
  <em>
    <span>no,</span>
  </em>
  <span> nobles would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> do that to people they think are on a lower level. I can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>believe </span>
  </em>
  <span>they would do such a </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrible </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing,” she said sarcastically. Reiner sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know right? How could they do that?” They all stared at Reiner in shock, completely stunned that he thought she was being serious. Ymir snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In case you can’t tell, Reiner is an idiot who takes sarcasm as seriousness. It makes it </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>easy to mess with him,” she said. Reiner nodded proudly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! That’s-wait what?” Connie burst out laughing and Sasha joined in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Reiner I’m surprised you fell for that!” Connie chuckled. Reiner blushed pink and looked away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what if I’m not the brightest crayon in the toolbox.” They stared at him in shock and Ymir smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you perhaps mean the sharpest tool in the box?” She asked. Reiner turned darker and then looked away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Ymir, how about we don’t embarrass Reiner?” Ymir glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.” She glanced at them. “So...who are all of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Marco, these two are Connie and Sasha, and that one is Eren. Nice to meet you, Miss Ymir.” Ymir screwed up her nose as she looked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call me that,” she said irritably. “We’re the same age so don’t treat me like I’m your superior.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry but we’re not really supposed to treat future heirs like friends.” Ymir frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Connie’s treating Reiner like normal,” she said. Sasha snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco’s a good boy. I don’t think he would ever break any rules he’s given,” Sasha said. Ymir stared at him and shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.” With that she walked to her own team and ignored them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is Historia going to be joining us?” Eren asked. Reiner shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Historia’s dad is </span>
  <em>
    <span>extremely </span>
  </em>
  <span>protective of her. She won’t be able to participate until he’s dead or she’s the head.” Bertolt nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rod is bad news. If you can, avoid him at all costs,” he murmured. More people came onto the pitch and Reiner looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those’re the Reiss teams. We should get back to our own groups before Kruger sees us chatting with you,” he said. Eren nodded and Sasha and Connie said their goodbyes. Bertolt and Reiner went off to their respective groups while the Reiss teams lined up. Once everyone was in their assigned spots the Engeltochter noble team came out. Marco glanced at the massive clock face on the castle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been out here almost an hour,” he murmured. Connie clicked his tongue while glaring at the nobles on the opposite side of them. Kruger stepped up to the microphone and smiled pleasantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome everyone to the one hundred and seventy first Wing Tournament. I am Kruger Engeltochter, acting head of the Engeltochter flock. As you see before you all the teams are ready and waiting for the games to begin!” Eren rolled his eyes as Kruger began to go on a long speech. Strangely enough the people watching him and the games seemed excited. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren glanced around and noticed that Armin was sitting close to where the heads and Historia were seated. Then his gaze went to the hooded people behind Armin and he knew somehow that they were watching him. He smiled at them and one -he could only assume it was Hanji- waved back at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, they’re announcing who we’ll be facing,” Connie said, nudging him. Eren focused back on what Kruger was saying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As always the noble and commoner teams of each flock will face off against each other and then will those who pass move on.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t that immediately take out the commoner teams?” He whispered. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. But our nobles are sadistic so don’t think we can just back out of this one. Gotta put on a good show right?” Eren raised an eyebrow and his lips curled up. Connie glanced over and shivered. Eren was smiling, true, but it was all teeth and viciousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...let’s give them a show like they’ve never seen before,” he muttered, eyeing the noble team like they were pieces of meat he wanted to sink his teeth into. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie paced around the waiting room nervously. Marco smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, relax. It’ll be fine,” Marco said. Connie’s wings fluttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is it fine?? You’re going up against Cain! You know as well as I do that he takes pleasure in breaking wings! You could lose your ability to fly so soon after gaining it!” He said. Marco smiled, but Eren could see his hands shaking. He put a hand on Marco’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll do fine. Remember what we practiced, and now that the tournament’s started, take to the air if you need to.” Marco exhaled slowly and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Wish me luck,” he said. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need it, you’ve already got what you need to win,” he said reassuringly. Marco smiled at Eren before walking out the door onto the field. Eren and Connie went up to join Sasha in the stands. Right as they sat down someone else plopped down next to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your guy’s up against a bad one, huh?” Reiner said, staring seriously at the field. Eren glanced at him before nodding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s not going to be easy but Marco can do it,” he said. Kruger stepped up to the microphone to speak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first four matches will be Engeltochter flock members against each other. Then the second four matches will be by the Valkyries, then the Braun’s, the Hoover’s, and finally the Reiss. Rules to win are as follows! Incapacitate your opponent or make them surrender within five minutes. Good luck contestants!” Historian reached over and pressed a button, ringing the bell. As soon as she did, Cain lunged at Marco who narrowly dodged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I surrender? Is that acceptable?” He asked. Cain laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if! I won’t let you!” Marco dodged another hit and nearly snuck his own attack in. Cain jumped back to evade it while Marco smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I suppose we’ll have to fight,” he said. Even as his smile remained on his face, Eren noted his eyes become serious. Cain lunged forward and Marco dodged, avoiding Cain’s hits. Cain clicked his tongue and drew back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s he doing?” Eren asked. A bright blue symbol glowed in the air and Reiner leaned forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a mage! He’s going to use physical enhancement magic!” The symbol broke apart and his whole form glowed blue. Cain lunged forward and this time it was too fast for Marco to avoid. Marco was sent flying, crashing into the wall. A loud snapping sound was heard and Marco went down. Cain grinned and started walking towards Marco’s downed form. Historia spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s incapacitated, isn’t this match over!” The crowd was confused. The Engeltochter members wouldn’t look at Marco while the others glanced between the field and Kruger. Cain reached down and picked up Marco by his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not incapacitated yet though? He’s just a weakling who doesn’t want to stand up.” Historia looked at Kruger who nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as an enemy can stand up, they will attack again,” he said. Cain grinned cruelly. He leaned forward and whispered something in Marco’s ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marco’s POV</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cain’s breath smelled disgusting this close. Like he ate carrion for breakfast and then used swamp water to brush his teeth. He leaned in after grinning and I flinched after feeling his breath on my ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is what you get for hanging around that fucking halfbreed,” Cain whispered. I froze. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span>! He was doing this simply to make Eren suffer! He pulled back and I glared at him, an unusual feeling building inside me. He grinned and let me go. My legs crumpled beneath me but I still glared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was this feeling? It was hot. It was negative. It was…</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Fury.</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I placed a hand on the ground and felt my skin seem to shiver. That hot feeling was spreading, covering me. It was consuming me but I didn’t care. I brought one leg up underneath myself and pushed myself to my feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Eren is believing in me. This piece of shit wants to insult and hurt Eren by hurting those around him? Not on my fucking watch. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>3rd Person POV</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cain’s smile disappeared slowly and he took a step back as Marco got to his feet. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reiner, what’s going one with Marco?” He asked. Reiner’s jaw had dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a shield!” Eren glanced back at Marco and saw the boy seem to stretch. His body had a faint red shimmer around it and his smile was gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that mean?” Eren asked, not taking his eyes off the field as Marco advanced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s an ability user! And a shield type at that, the worst kind for a mage like Cain to go against!” Reiner said. Cain’s face screwed up in fear and he threw up his hand. Several symbols glowed in the air. Three of the blue one he’d used last time as well as two yellow one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Die!!” He shouted, flinging his hand down. The yellow runes disappeared and then there was a crackle of electricity. Marco’s wings spread and raised over his head right as lightning arced down from the clear blue sky. It struck his wings but they glowed bright red right before the lightning hit. As soon as the lightning disappeared, Cain attacked, shooting forward. Marco’s wings snapped into place, forming a feathery wall between him and Cain. Cain crashed into it, his fist coming back bleeding when he pulled back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit, he’s using his wings as his shield??” Reiner said in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that unusual?” Eren asked. Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Usually for a shield type like him they have to have another, more solid object as their shield. Even their own body or arms make better shields than our wings so we shield types don’t use our wings a lot.” Connie glanced at Reiner before looking back at Marco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if he’s a shield type he can’t attack, right?” Reiner snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what makes shields dangerous on the battlefield?” Eren frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The fact that no one can get past them?” Reiner shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s that we can take a lot of hits and though what attacks we can use are limited, they hit hard. Just watch. The most likely one he’ll use now is-” Marco swung his wings open, whacking Cain in the face and sending him flying. “Shield bash,” Reiner finished. Kruger stared down in shock. Historia hid her smile behind her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Announcer, shouldn’t we decide a victor?” She asked. Kruger gaped before he sighed and spoke into the mike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As the contestant for the Engeltochter team is no longer able to fight, the winner is,” he gritted his teeth while Armin and Historia smirked at him, “the contestant for the commoner Engeltochter team.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In this chapter, Connie, Sasha, and Eren will all face their opponents in the Wing Tournament.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cheers echoed through the stadium and the red glow slowly faded from Marco’s body. He glanced around in confusion and shock. Eren glanced at Reiner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Reiner, you’ve been saying ‘we shields’ and ‘shields like us’, are you also a shield?” Reiner glanced at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! Why?” Eren glanced at Marco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mind coming down to the waiting room with us to explain what just happened to Marco?” Reiner’s eyes widened and he nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing. Let’s go now while they’re hauling the noble off the field.” Eren nodded and they quickly went into the waiting room where they found Marco sitting, hands shaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco? What’s wrong?” Eren asked, hurrying over to stand next to Marco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren...I…” Marco trailed off, visibly distressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You what?” Eren asked, wondering what happened. Did Marco accidently kill Cain? Was he in shock at what happened?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...</span>
  <em>
    <span>swore</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Marco whispered. Eren blinked in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You swore? When?” He asked. Marco shivered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my head. If I’m already swearing there...soon it’ll begin to spill out in my normal speech and then...then…” Eren patted Marco’s back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t mean to, right? And if it’s bothering you this much it’s unlikely that you’ll end up swearing any more than that.” Marco nodded slowly and Reiner laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought it would be something super serious but I guess not.” Marco glanced up, noticing the other person in the waiting room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reiner? What are you doing here?” He asked. Reiner grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren asked me to explain what happened to you that allowed you to beat Cain.” Marco stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...</span>
  <em>
    <span>awoke</span>
  </em>
  <span>...right?” Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You awakened as a shield which is the worst opponent for that idiot Cain to go against.” Marco frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But isn’t Cain some kind of physical fighter?” He asked. Reiner sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For some reason a lot of elite mages have this idea that the ‘perfect’ mage is someone strong both in physical combat and magical combat. He was probably just one that looked at the physical aspect.” Marco nodded slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Physical enhancement? That’s what he was doing, right?” Marco asked. Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! A spell that enhances the caster or target’s strength. Of course even if you use a hundred of those spells it’ll only be about twice your original strength so it’s not the be all, end all. You can’t make yourself stronger than anyone if your physical abilities aren’t high enough. It also doesn’t last very long so most mages don’t use them.” The door opened and Sasha came in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Sasha,” Marco greeted. She looked up and Marco flinched. Her face was pale and her eyes seemed hopeless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong, Sasha?” She sat down and put her head in her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just found out who my actual opponent is.” Her voice was soft and resigned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is it?” Reiner asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leonardo Astranoth.” Marco sucked in a breath and Eren glanced between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with him?” Eren asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In any tournament he’s known for publicly ruining his female opponents,” Sasha whispered. Reiner frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Publicly ruining? What does he do?” Sasha shuddered and couldn’t speak so Marco answered for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He usually strips them and forces them to climax in front of the entire audience.” Reiner stared at Marco in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does he do to his male opponents?” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He beats them half to death. I can’t tell which is worse.” Reiner glared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t go out against him!” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have ten minutes before my match starts. If I don’t go out onto the pitch I’ll either be dragged out or it’ll be counted as a forfeit,” she lifted her head up and looked at them, “how am I supposed to tell Connie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie? Why are you worried about that?” Reiner asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie and Sasha are going out,” Eren stated. Sasha looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I don’t go out then I embarrass our whole team and make Marco’s victory useless but if I go out I risk publicly losing my virginity,” she trailed off. Eren stared at her, concerned. He hesitantly reached over and patted her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to do?” He asked. She sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to waste Marco’s victory. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to kick that guys ass for all the girls he’s ruined. I want to win,” she said. Eren grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then do that. Aren’t we here to fuck them up?” She looked up at him and grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. I’m going to fuck him over and then make sure he never lays a hand on another woman ever again,” she said with a grin. Her hands were still shaking but she seemed excited rather than afraid now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have fun out there,” Eren said as he, Marco, and Reiner returned to the stands. When they got there Connie was looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you guys are, where have you been? By the way, have you seen Sasha? I’m worried about her since I just heard her opponent is Leonardo.” Marco chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I somehow get the feeling she’ll be fine.” Reiner smiled at Connie who slowly relaxed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright...I’ll trust you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi’s POV</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armin, what happened while I was away?” Mikasa asked, sitting down next to him. Levi sighed. Why little-miss-obsessive-sister came with them, he would never understand. Armin grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren’s powers as a flock leader is already kicking in.” Hanji leaned over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by that?” They asked eagerly. Armin grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You see when a new flock is formed, if the leader can form a mark on their members then the first twenty to get the mark immediately become nobles. Their powers begin to appear, allowing even commoners to manifest one of the ten types,” Armin said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sword, shield, bow, gun, spear, mage, enchanter, merchant, healer, and alchemist right?” Hanji asked. Armin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup. Marco apparently manifested as a shield, probably the best type for him if we consider his attitude and personality. A shield for his friends...doesn’t it fit him?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To a tee,” a new voice spoke up. Levi sighed softly, recognizing the voice. He turned and looked at the small girl standing behind them. Her soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes seemed to pierce through them. It made him feel like a butterfly pinned to a cork board. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back, Historia,” Armin greeted. Levi looked away in irritation. The girl may look like a real angel, what with her innocent face and pure white wings but her heart was as black a black hole. She was like a devil wearing fake wings and a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong Mr Ackerman? You seem upset,” she said. Levi rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder why?” She smiled pleasantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a very good sense for people. Most of the time at least, since you were fooled by Kruger’s act.” Erwin looked up from his phone -which was keeping him connected to everything back home so he could continue running the cases they’d taken on- and walked over to Historia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lady Historia, it’s such a pleasure to see you here. What brings you here?” He asked with a pleasant smile. Levi took a step back and stared suspiciously at the trio of blondes. He began internally making similarities between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blonde. Blue eyes. Stupidly smart. Cunning. Willing to make sacrifices to reach their goals. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you aren’t all related to each other?” He asked. Erwin laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi you know as well as I do that I don’t have a wife and I would never touch anyone other than my married spouse.” Levi rolled his eyes and sat back down, eyes watching as a relatively plump person came from the noble team. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leonardo, likely the worst person on the noble team,” Historia said. Levi glanced at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes him the worst?” Historia snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s an alchemist. He uses potions and gaseous attacks to bring his opponents to a stop so he can either do as he pleases with them or beat them to death.” Armin leaned forward as Historia spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He has a habit of flying in combat because the potions he makes need to crack open before he can accurately use them,” Armin said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s bad because why?” Erwin asked, sitting next to Levi. Levi curled his lip but ignored it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because the commoners don’t know how to fly. The nobles pull that rule back for the duration of the Wing Tournament but they always get destroyed in the fighting rounds,” Historia explained. Erwin narrowed his eyes but a small mile played across his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Any particular reason for that?” Historia waved her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Engeltochter nobles are afraid of being surpassed by the commoners. Did you see their faces after Cain got beat? It was quite the sight,” she snickered, eyes cold and calm. Levi shivered and looked back at the field. He watched as the commoner team doors opened and the only girl on their team appeared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poor thing, if she doesn’t have a way to fight against Leonardo, she’s going to lose any pride she has,” Historia said. Levi looked back at the field and waited for Kruger to signal the start of the match. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>3rd Person POV</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasha came through the doors and forced herself to calm down. She knew how Leonardo worked. How he fought, what he did, what potions he preferred first. Leonardo leered at her and licked his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you shouldn’t have gone with something a bit thicker or harder to remove to make things difficult for me?” He asked. Sasha felt a shiver run down her spine but forced herself to calm down. She glared up at him and he flinched, smile fading as her amber eyes locked on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay Sasha, think of this as a hunt. You’re hunting your prey and can’t make careless decisions. Be ready for anything and remain aware of your surroundings,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sasha thought to herself. Up in the Stands Connie whistled softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s gone into her hunting mode,” he whispered in awe. Eren glanced at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He asked. Connie chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha comes from a family of hunters so she grew up hunting. Because of that she developed a kind of split personality for when she hunts. Just watch, you’ll see.” Eren glanced back at the field, wondering what had changed. Sasha was standing almost perfectly still, slightly swaying with the wind blowing. Kruger stood up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the second match of the Engeltochter flock’s fights. Rules are the same as last time; incapacitate your opponent or get the to surrender within five minutes! Good luck contestants! Let the match begin!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Kruger finished speaking Leonardo launched into the air, flinging potions down at Sasha who threw herself out of the way, rolling when she landed and running from the other potions that Leonardo threw. However, Eren shivered when he realized that Sasha had never taken her eyes off Leonardo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quit running girl, it doesn’t matter in the end!” Leonardo called. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Reiner, how many potions can an alchemist bring into the field?” Eren asked, watching as Sasha circled the large field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They can bring up to thirty potions with them and after that it’s up to their physical abilities.”  Eren stared at the field. The potions Leonardo was throwing were extremely gaseous and the gas spread far. Soon she would run out of area where she could escape the clouds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s over!” Leonardo said, throwing the final potion into the center of the field where Sasha was standing. Sasha felt everything seem to slow down and she inhaled before exhaling slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...it’s over,” she said, letting the energy inside of herself spread to her hands. She pulled her hand back and released as she spread her wings and took to the sky. The potion hit where she’d been but she’s already escaped its area of effect. Leonardo’s eyes widened as a golden arrow shot straight towards him. He let out a shriek and lunged to the side, the arrow stabbing his wing instead. He plummeted, wing trying to flap faster, making up for the injured wing. He fell into his own smoke while Sasha floated above the field. Eren’s jaw dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did she just-?” Connie grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s my girl for you. Sasha actually manifested her type when she was in a life or death situation as a kid. Look, you can see her bow from here.” Sure enough a silver bow was in her hands. It was shaped like a branch with silver leaves and ivy still wrapped around it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it based off of something?” Reiner asked. Connie shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some say yes, some say no. I think it reminds me of the bow of Artemis,” Connie said. Reiner glanced up at Sasha who still gazed at the gas covered ground with an apathetic gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bow belonging to the goddess of the hunt, huh?” Reiner murmured. The crowd was whispering while the Engeltochter flock members stared at Sasha in shock. The gas dissipated and they stared in shock at the sight of the unmoving Leonardo. Sasha slowly lowered and nudged him. A soft groan could be heard throughout the field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you surrender?” Sasha asked. Leonardo glared at him and, when he didn’t make a sound, Sasha drew her bow again, a second arrow appearing. “Shall I finish you off then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough! He is incapacitated, the winner is the member of the commoner team,” Kruger spat. Sasha glared up at him and lifted her hands, aiming at Kruger who paled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> if he surrendered, I asked </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she hissed. He flinched and pulled back while Sasha turned her aim back onto Leonardo. He whimpered as she drew the bowstring completely back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I surrender, I surrender!” He sobbed. Sasha stepped away and lowered her bow. The crowd was silent as Sasha turned and walked off the field while medics came to get Leonardo. Connie stood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WELL DONE SASHA! WHOO!” He shouted, his voice echoing over the field. Sasha looked up in surprise and smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“GOOD FIGHT!” Reiner shouted. Marco smiled proudly at her and Eren laughed and cheered with them, ignoring the looks they were getting from everyone else. However, the Braun and Valkyrie flocks clapped and cheered right along with them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, now it’s time to go get her from collapsing,” Connie said, walking off. Eren followed him, confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He asked. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because her power is so strong and manifested so young there are problems with what happens after she uses it.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Connie looked down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She saw her older brother get killed by a rogue flock and nearly lost her parents to them too. I don’t know the details but I do know that out of fear and the desire to protect her family, she became the youngest manifestor in centuries.” They entered the waiting room and found Sasha leaning against a wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys,” she said weakly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha!” Eren and Connie cried, rushing forward to support her. She smiled at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine just...</span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just shocked you haven’t collapsed yet,” Connie said. Sasha laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something’s different this time Connie. If it were the normal me I would’ve collapsed after shooting that first arrow and it would’ve been a tie.” She sat down and they hovered protectively over her, making her laugh. “Relax guys, I’m fine. By the way, did you see Kruger’s face when I pointed my arrow at him? That has to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie sighed and ran a hand over his head. He stared down at his smiling girlfriend and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just...don’t push yourself, okay?” Sasha smiled and there was a knock on the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Contestant Connie? Your opponent has been decided.” Connie looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’ll go see who it is. Eren, take care of Sasha, will you?” Eren nodded and Connie walked off, heading to check the list. Eren stared at Sasha and she smiled softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re wondering about my power, right? I assume Connie told you a bit about it?” Eren nodded hesitantly and she smiled. “I expected as much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m...sorry. Is...is it okay for me to ask about it?” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rogue flocks aren’t usually something we deal with but they can be dangerous. My brother was...kind of the protector of our group. He was the one keeping dangerous people out and killing dangerous animals. So when they came…he was the first to die. They killed him quickly and then began slaughtering everyone in the village.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Monsters,” Eren spat. Sasha nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. They decided to toy with the last ten of us, my parents and I included. My father can’t move his wings because they cut the muscles connecting them. My mother can’t walk because they destroyed her ankles and knees. Then they decided they’d had enough messing around and went to kill my parents.” Eren watched silently as Sasha’s shoulders began to shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was terrifying, wasn’t it?” He murmured. She nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even though they’d been hurt so much, they were still trying to protect me. They grabbed them and dragged them away from me, kicking and screaming. I remember seeing one lift the blade and trace it over my mother’s throat before everything seemed to go quiet. I could hear my heartbeat but it was like all other sounds had been shut off. I wished that I had a weapon. That’s what I remember thinking as I watched them kick my parents broken, bleeding bodies on the ground before reaching to lift their heads. My hands got hot all of a sudden, but it was a familiar warmth. Like when I hold my bow in my hands, how the grip gets warm in your grasp. I remember pretending to draw back and everything goes black.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My power manifested and went wild. Apparently I put at least five shots in each member of the rogue flock before collapsing. After that I was bedridden for almost two weeks with a fever. The doctor thought I wasn’t going to survive manifesting that young. When I did though, he told me not to use it until after I was eighteen, that way my body would’ve finished preparing for it.” Eren looked down before a thought occurred to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why...did you tell me? I know I asked, but even Connie doesn’t know and he’s your boyfriend.” Sasha smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because I don’t like how sad he looks when he thinks about it. I want Connie to smile like usual at me no matter what. So I won’t tell him everything, that way he won’t always be thinking about it. As for why you, you are my flock leader after all. If not you, who better to tell?” She smiled at him and then the doors opened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back, Connie,” Eren said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s you end up getting?” Connie looked up and Eren realized just how pale he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got Gardi.” Eren tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gardi? What kind of name is Gardi?” Connie looked at him before he burst out laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course that’s what you pay attention to! What was I expecting, I wonder?” Connie laughed and Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, Gardi is the only berserker fighter in the noble team. Usually the nobles don’t like being seen as or with idiots but Gardi is an exception because of his ridiculous strength. Which means that Connie with his skinny arms and legs won’t be able to do anything to him.” Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s like a fawn attacking a tank. I’m more likely to get hurt from any attacks than he is.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, I didn’t think there was a berserker class?” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a class. Technically he’s a swordsman but Gardi claims he likes his fights bloody, fast, and in close quarters with his fists. In other words, despite being a swordsman he enjoys brawling.” Connie nodded. Eren glanced at Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well isn’t it a good thing that Connie is the best at evasion?” Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t win like that. If I run and avoid him the whole time it’s just going to end as a draw and they’ll get the point in the end for him being the attacker. Which means that we’ll lose a point. And I’m not going to let that happen after we’ve already won </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>out of four matches. I refuse to be the weak point!” Eren chuckled and smiled at Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I guess you’ll find a way. Perhaps distract him so he can’t get mad and go berserk or something?” Connie tilted his head and shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that might work. I don’t know. Well, I’ll give it a shot!” Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do that. In the meantime, Sasha and I will head back to the stands...unless you two want a moment in </span>
  <em>
    <span>private</span>
  </em>
  <span> together.” Connie and Sasha glanced at each other before bursting out laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Eren, are you trying to tease us? The innocent little virgin with a hero crush wants to try teasing us?” Sasha asked with a grin, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth in mock shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The child who has never been in a romantic relationship and would probably be too embarrassed to even give his crush a kiss on the cheek is trying to tease </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Connie snickered with raised eyebrows. Eren blushed and looked away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, I get it. You win, I won’t try again!” He said. Sasha and Connie smirked at each other victoriously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In all seriousness though, my match is about to start so you guys head back up to the stands and I’ll ready myself internally,” Connie said. Sasha kissed him lightly, causing Eren to flush and look away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll do well. I trust you,” she said. With that, she walked out with Eren following closely on her heels. They returned to their seats and found that Bertolt and the Valkyrie heir had joined them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...why are you here?” Eren asked. Ymir rolled her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bert’s here because Reiner’s here and those two can barely go two hours without having to have some innocent skinship with each other or be even remotely near to each other. And I’m here because your team is interesting,” she said, eyeing them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Eren asked. She raised an eyebrow and snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re all commoners yet two of your members are awakened? That’s a little unusual. Or should I say ‘as expected of the Engeltochter clan’?” She said. Reiner snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I highly doubt it has anything to do with the clan itself. Think about how far it’s fallen since Lady Carla disappeared,” Reiner said. Eren perked up at his mothers’ name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Lady Carla?” He asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sh-she was the previous head b-before she just d-dis-disappeared,” Bertolt murmured. Ymir sighed and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And she was a good one too. She only picked good, strong people who weren’t already aligned with a flock yet </span>
  <em>
    <span>somehow </span>
  </em>
  <span>managed to defeat all the other flocks in every single Wing Tournament she watched over.” Eren’s eyes widened. Had his mom really been </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>impressive? Sure she was a great mom, although stern at times and his memories of her were fading, but he didn’t think of her in this sort of light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But then, seven years after she became the head she just...disappeared. There was no note, no warning, hell no sign she even left the fucking bedroom. Yet she was gone and no one could find her. So that bastard Kruger stepped in, claiming that Carla had abandoned her duties and as the remaining Engeltochter, he would take over the flock.” Reiner sighed. Ymir groaned and her eyes flicked to the gates as they began to open on the field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since then, the Engeltochter flock has been on the decline. At this rate, give it a few more years and this prestigious flock will disappear.” She went silent as Connie nervously stepped onto the field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As always, the rules are the same. Incapacitate your opponent or get them to surrender and you win! Good luck and begin!” Kruger shouted. His hand dropped, signaling the start of the match and Connie lunged to the side. The noble opponent barreled right through where Connie had just been. Ymir raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? He’s got some good reflexes,” she said. Sasha smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s Connie’s good point. He’s really good at dodging. Perhaps he became that way because I throw kitchen knives at him when he pisses me off?” Ymir stared at Sasha with something akin to respect in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may have misjudged you,” she said. But Sasha ignored her, more focused on watching her boyfriend evade the massive winged bull. The noble in question was big enough that a Connie standing on another Connie still wouldn’t match his height. And he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>beefy </span>
  </em>
  <span>too. Eren didn’t think he would be able to put his arms around the giant. Well, that was if he could get close enough without getting punched in the face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck!” Connie shouted as one of Gardi’s strikes caught his wing. Immediately Gardi took Connie’s moment of surprise to lunge forward. Connie’s eyes widened in shock and then feathers covered Gardi’s vision. Gardi slowed in surprise, giving Connie the chance to dive beneath the larger man, rolling away from him before popping back up to his feet. Gardi huffed as Connie watched him warily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fight me like a man,” Gardi growled. Connie laughed nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If being a woman means not fighting with you, I’ll happily be a girl. Though that may make things awkward with my girlfriend,” he said. Gardi huffed and charged again. This time he managed to grab Connie’s wing instead of striking it. Connie’s eyes widened and yanked his wing away. Something flew through the air but it definitely wasn’t Connie’s feathers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” Ymir whispered. Connie seemed shocked as he stared at Gardi’s bleeding hand. Eren’s eyes widened as he recognized the marks left on Gardi’s hand. They were the same as what Eren left on wood or stone when his feathers hardened. Connie gaped in shock as cries of surprise went up from the spectators. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell??? What kind of ability is </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>??” Ymir cried, shooting up in her seat. Eren grinned and leaned forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, MOVE!!!” He shouted. Connie snapped out of his daze to narrowly dodge the incoming fist. It slammed into the ground where Connie had been standing and Gardi bellowed in frustration. Ymir raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He really is like a bull,” she said. Eren ignored her in favor of watching as Connie dodged again and spread his wing in midair, the sharpened edges catching Gardi’s cheek. The thin slashes began to bleed and Connie shouted an apology before rolling away from Gardi. Reiner chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell? Does he have blades in his feathers??” He asked, incredulous. Ymir snorted and shook her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way. If he did, they’d probably hurt him just as much as his opponent. Whatever that ability is, if he can use it that would be incredible...who’s ever thought of turning their wings into weapons?” She said, eagerly watching the field. They stared as Gardi launched himself at Connie only to be used as a launch pad. Connie jumped on Gardi’s shoulders and took to the air. He was panting slightly and Eren could see a light layer of sweat but other than that Connie was unharmed. In contrast, he hadn’t done much to Gardi but there was still more damage on Gardi than Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gardi glared up at Connie and spread his wings. They had to flap hard and fast to lift his massive body. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it just me or are Gardi’s wings rather small for his body?” He asked. Ymir sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a result from not exercising your wings while strenuously exercising the rest of your body. In other words, he didn’t use his wings so now they can barely support his weight,” she stated. Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To prevent that you just need to go flying every once in a while to strengthen your wings. In contrast, Connie there seems tiny compared to his wings.” Eren tilted his head and looked at Connie. Sure his wings were longer than he was tall, but Connie was short to begin with. Connie soared higher and higher until he was a speck in the sky. Eren’s eyes widened as he saw Connie coast on his back for a second before folding his wings against his back and plummeting. Sasha let out a horrified shriek as Connie steadily shot down towards Gardi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he going to dive bomb him??” Ymir asked with a manic grin. Right before making impact with Gardi, Connie spread his wings and swerved to the side. Gardi cried out as deep, clean cuts appeared on his sides where Connie had flown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously, what the hell is that ability?” Reiner asked in horrified awe. Connie soared back up into the sky and Eren narrowed his eyes. There was no way that Connie could have mastered an ability that he clearly didn’t know about that even Eren couldn’t control. Sure enough, when he dive bombed Gardi again, nothing happened. Yet Connie didn’t give up as he continually tried to slash at Gardi with his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie was clearly exhausted and his wings were beating weakly at this point, clearly a struggle just to remain airborne. However, despite it not being a clear victory, time was up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is a draw!” Kruger shouted as the bell rang to signal the end of the match. Connie landed and his wings drooped with exhaustion. Historia smirked as she spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you going to decide who won?” She asked. Kruger glared at her but sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both contestants will undergo a physical examination and whoever has the most injuries will be the loser.” Ymir cackled as everyone began to clap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He basically admitted that you guys won! Good for you,” she said, slapping Eren on the back. Eren let out a breath of relief. Sasha and Marco stared in shock at the field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does this mean...we...won?” Sasha asked. Ymir grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! First commoner team to win against a noble team, congrats!” Reiner laughed heartily while he slapped Marco on the back. Marco looked like he was beginning to ascend from the shock. The doctors came up and murmured the results to Kruger who glared at their group. He sighed and picked up the microphone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The winner of the match is...Connie Springer from the commoner team.” Cheers echoed through the stadium as the commoner in the Engeltochter flock realized what that meant. Eren stood and walked down to the waiting room. Connie was already there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You not going to see who your opponent is?” Connie asked. Eren shook his head with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No...I don’t think it would matter if I knew who they were or not. By the way, do you know what happened during the match?” Connie looked at him in confusion before understanding dawned on him. Connie shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not an awakening, and it’s not something I’ve ever had happen before so I’m afraid I don’t. Sorry.” Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, because I do.” Connie looked up at him in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh...what?” He asked. Eren spread his wings and hardened the feathers, nudging the flat side against Connie’s face. His eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard!” He said in shock, staring at Eren’s feathers. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And extremely sharp, so be careful.” Connie carefully fingered the feathers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve honestly never seen anything like this before. Can you do this at will?” He asked, looking up at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somewhat. It occasionally pops up without me meaning for it to. Other than that, I can pretty much control it at all times.” Connie started laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?? First it was creating slime out of nothing and now it’s hardening your feathers without the use of an ability or something, what next??” Eren winced and smiled sheepishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Contestants please head onto the field,” a voice on the intercom said. Connie looked worriedly at Eren who smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try to get us a perfect victory,” he said. Connie watched worriedly as Eren walked out onto the pitch. His opponent carried a sharp steel sword and had a large mustache. His blonde hair was long and fell nearly to his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rules are the same as always,” Kruger called, “let the match begin!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His opponent bowed to him and Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Mike Zacharius. Who are you?” Eren smiled as his wings spread. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren Jeager. Nice to meet you.” As soon as introductions were over, Mike lunged at him, blade out in a thrust. Eren leaped forward and his wings spread, carrying him over Mike’s head. They spun around to face each other, now on opposite sides of the field. Immediately Mike was charging again and this time it was an overhead cut. When Eren tried to dodge, Mike changed the strike to a slashing cut. Eren’s eyes widened and there was a crackle of energy around him. Mike’s eyes widened when he saw a tiny crackle of electricity around Eren, pulling back at the last second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a noble,” Mike said. It was a statement, rather than a question. Eren tilted his head in confusion. How could Mike know that? Mike watched him cautiously as he readied himself for the next strike, “and a high ranked one at that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren felt like there was some kind of wild energy coursing through him, similar to what happened when he’d first been captured by his father. He felt light and excited, a giddy kind of elation rushing through him. Mike lunged forward again and Eren dodged, grabbing Mike’s arm and pulling him off balance. Mike used his wings to keep himself steady while turning to slash at Rren, forcing him to draw back. Eren felt like he was practically dancing with joy as he spun out of the way. Mike’s eyes widened as he saw Eren’s smiling face. Golden amber eyes and a warm smile with dark brown hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carla?” He whispered. Eren lunged forward to try and attack but Mike jumped back in time to avoid it. Mike stared at him. “Boy. What was the first name of your mother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren paused, watching the stranger cautiously. Perhaps this man had known his mother? But if he did it would make it more important to hide who he actually was. Then again, he’d only asked for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>first </span>
  </em>
  <span>name of his mother so...maybe it was safe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carla. Her first name was Carla,” Eren said, taking a chance on the man. His eyes widened and he spun his blade before thrusting it into the dirt. Eren paused, confused at what he was doing. Then, before anyone could speak, Mike spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I surrender.” Eren’s eyes widened and the giddy feeling left his body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-what?” He stuttered. Kruger reacted before anyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” He screeched into the microphone. Mike straightened, taking his hands off his sword. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surrendering. It is within the rules. If either of the contestants decides to surrender, they may. I surrender.” Murmurs began to go up in the stands, whispers questioning Kruger’s actions. Then Historia spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kruger, as unsatisfying as that short fight may have been, one of the contestants has surrendered, therefore you must announce a winner.” Kruger gritted his teeth before he sighed and glared down at Mike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The contestant for the noble Engeltochter team has...surrendered,” he spat. Eren watched Mike for a reaction and was surprised to see Mike watching him closely, “the winner is the contestant for the commoner team.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cheers rose through the stadium and Eren felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He glanced up and was shocked to see how quickly Mike had reached his side without making his presence known. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s talk. In private,” the blonde man said, steering Eren towards the waiting rooms. Eren blinked in confusion but hesitantly walked into them with Mike. He heard the door shut behind him and he waited a moment before turning around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you-?!” Mike was kneeling on the ground before him. His head was bowed and his wings were spread on the floor behind him. Eren was shocked into silence so Mike spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My lord, I am so relieved to have finally met you,” he said. Eren blinked before he spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-what are you talking about?” He asked. Mike looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are the remaining heir of the Engeltochter clan, the son of Carla Engeltochter.” Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think that?” Eren asked, trying to cover up the fact that Mike had hit the nail right on the head. Mike sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look almost exactly like your mother. But more than that, it was the joy in battle.” Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joy in battle?” He repeated. Mike nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother had an...</span>
  <em>
    <span>unusual</span>
  </em>
  <span> ability. When she was fighting, she would feel giddy and excited. That feeling would make her more powerful but it had its limitations. If she felt even the slightest bit afraid it would grow weaker proportionate to the number of opponents.” Eren’s eyes widened as the day of his capture and his mother’s death flashed before his eyes. Her fear, her panic, and the many people they were facing...it made sense now. “By the way, is your mother…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s dead,” Eren whispered. Mike nodded solemnly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feared as much if you were here but she wasn’t.” Eren looked at Mike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way...why are you here talking to me?” Mike stood up and Eren realized exactly how tall he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is because I swear fealty only to the true Engeltochters. As such, my loyalty is to you,” he said with a bow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Kruger?” Eren asked. Mike snorted and his eyes narrowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That pretentious rat? Of course I’m not working for him. However, I put up with him under the hope that Carla or her child would someday come here.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard that my mom only had good, honest people in the flock. What happened to the others?” He asked. Mike sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were...very vocal about their unhappiness with Kruger being in charge of the flock. As such they were either kicked out of the flock or...silenced. After most of Carla’s trusted soldiers were removed, Kruger began to replace them with those who are currently in power.” Eren looked down, realizing exactly how serious Mike was about this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d never realized that maybe there were other people who were against Kruger. Well, aside from the heirs that is. Mike bowing to him drew his attention again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, save the Engeltochter flock from his grasp.” Eren felt guilty all of a sudden. His spontaneous decision to form a flock was causing so many problems. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” he whispered. Mike looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Eren grimaced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because...I already have my own flock. I can’t take over a second flock, right?” Mike’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that is the case...then please, allow me to join your flock.” Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?? Are you serious?” Mike knelt again and he nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I only serve the true Engeltochters. So please, allow me to serve you.” Eren watched him for a moment, internally debating if he should do it or not. It would be nice to have another person on his side, not to mention a strong one like Mike. Not to mention it seems like he was close to his mother. He inhaled slowly and then released it, looking down at Mike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. You can enter my flock.” Mike’s eyes widened and he turned his hand over to look at the palm of his hand where the wings appeared on his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A mark of my loyalty...thank you,” Mike said, nodding to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! Are you alright?” The door opened and Sasha and Connie burst in. Levi peered in a second later and Eren was confused at their shocked expressions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys? What’s wrong?” Connie spoke up first, a leering grin appearing on his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Eren, how was your first blowjob?” Eren tilted his head in confusion. Sasha snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you were the type to get some with a stranger,” she teased. Eren frowned, not understanding what they were going on about. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You idiots. I doubt Eren would have the balls to let some stranger he met in a fight suck his dick a few minutes after their fight.” Eren blinked and looked back down at Mike who was mostly hidden by his body but was certainly level with Eren’s dick. His face turned red and he stepped back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-it’s not like that!!” He cried. Connie and Sasha glanced at each other before they started snickering. Mike stood up and nodded to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are they also...?" Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys, this is Mike. He used to work with my mom and now he's part of my flock." Levi raised an eyebrow at that while Sasha and Connie grinned. Connie pranced up to Mike and bumped his chest with his fist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guess that makes me your senior since I've been part of his flock longer." Connie grinned malevolently and Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, you should probably make a rule so that your flock members can't order each other around just by seniority," he said. Connie gasped and glared at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How dare you?? I thought you were on my side!" Eren sighed but smiled at them. <br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>"By the way, do we have to fight members from other flocks?" he asked. Mike shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The fights are just a way to show the differences between nobility and the commoners as well as display the strengths of their strongest members. No one really wants to fight each other and risk breeding rivalries that cause the fall of their flock," he said. "They'll get more serious about the long distance flying because that one is worth the most points."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren sighed in relief and looked at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well then, should we go enjoy the other fights before we have to go flying?" he suggested. Sasha and Connie grinned at him while Levi sighed. Mike chuckled and nodded. With that they decided to all head back to the stands in order to watch the fights, though Mike and Levi had to head to their respective spots. Eren smiled as he watched the gate open and Reiner walked out. Even as he watched the fights his mind was filled with thoughts of the future ahead of him and his small flock.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am so sorry for missing the last update!! I will be honest, I got lazy and after five days had passed I went "Meh, it's already been five days, might as well wait for the next Sunday that I would update." I am so sorry for the long delay.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The Time Between</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What do they do now that they're fights are over? Simple. Eat and train.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren started to zone out during all the fights. None of them were as vicious when attacking their opponents as the Engeltochter nobles were. It was clear when looking at them on the stands that they were thoroughly humiliated and furious. Eren glanced at Mike, worried he’d be insulted or hurt by his teammates. Oddly enough, despite the glares he was getting from the nobles, Mike sat with his head held high. If anything, Mike seemed pleased that he had lost. While some, like Ymir, were flashy and showed off their abilities it just didn’t interest him. Others were like Bertolt, who had more raw power than skill. Of course there was also Reiner with his cheer and everyone-is-equal. Despite completely destroying his opponent he still stretched out a hand to him and helped him to his feet with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why can’t the Engeltochter nobles be more like Reiner?” Sasha whined. Ymir snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because Reiner is a hard person to copy, not to mention that those lazy bastards are only there because they want power,” she said with a sigh. Eren bristled at that but bit his tongue. He couldn’t reveal Mike as their friend and blow his cover. Mike had already exposed a good portion of his real self to Kruger and they couldn’t risk getting Mike kicked out of the flock. He turned to Connie and spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, what event comes after this? There were three events, right?” Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The power show, but that comes after the long distance flight.” Eren nodded and turned to the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna go practice flying.” They nodded and quickly left for the forest. Ymir glanced at them as they left and a sly smirk crossed her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clever little birds, aren’t they?” She murmured to herself. With that she stood and stalked after them, curious to see what they meant by practicing. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. So we’re going to be flying tomorrow and it will last for two days. That’s how long you have to make it to the finish line,” Marco said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That means that we need to practice now,” Eren said with a nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But before that,” Sasha turned to Connie, “what the hell was that power you had in the fight??”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie yelped as Sasha jumped on him and started tickling him in an effort to get him to talk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! Eren help me!” Connie cried through his laughter. He reached for Eren who sighed and took his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha, leave him alone. He somehow used my ability, that’s what it was.” Sasha stared at him suspiciously and Eren sighed before he hardened his feathers. Her eyes widened and she reached over to touch them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell??” She whispered. Eren sighed and folded his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My real question is how Marco manifested an ability. I thought you had to be eighteen to manifest a power,” he said. Connie grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are two cases that this could be. First of all, a traumatic situation can allow one in about a thousand people to manifest a power. That’s like what Sasha went through. The other option is that it’s because he joined your flock as one of your original twenty, thus elevating him to a noble.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that doesn’t explain why he could have a power, wouldn’t he still have to wait until he was eighteen?” Eren asked. Connie shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As soon as one joins the original twenty of a flock they end up developing a power soon after regardless of their age.” Eren nodded slowly. Somehow it felt like the reasons why powers appeared first kept fluctuating. He sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, we need to practice for tomorrow. We’re obviously going to be having opponents who try to interfere with us in midair so we’re going to be flying in a group through the trees.” The others nodded and Eren jumped into the air, wings immediately spreading. The others followed him and Eren glanced at them. “We’re going to be moving pretty quickly so we’ll need to stay close together without interfering in each other’s area. It’s going to be harder than last time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that he turned and took off into the trees, the others hot on his tail. He dove under a branch before looping over another and soaring around a trunk, slowly increasing his speed as the others tried to follow him. Luckily they noticed that it got easier if they used only half of their wings to fly. He circled back to where they’d started before shooting straight across the clearing. His eyes widened as he realized there was someone on the ground as he flew over them. Immediately he dove and started circling them. The others started following his example before the person had a rune glow over their head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright! Relax, I’m not going to do anything,” she said and they noted the spell that was making her features hard to look at disappeared. Eren’s eyes widened and he landed, folding his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ymir?! What are you doing??” He asked in shock. She smiled wryly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering what you guys were doing going off instead of staying to watch the remaining fights but instead found out a good secret.” Eren flinched when he realized that if she had been there from the beginning of their conversation she would know that they were their own flock. She grinned smugly at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we just have to make sure that you don’t tell anyone that secret,” Sasha hissed, her hands glowing golden as if she were about to pull out her bow. Ymir held up her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, I’m not going to tell anyone. I can understand not wanting to be part of Kruger’s flock or tell anyone that you have your own flock. I don’t want to pick a fight with you guys, you seem pretty well balanced as a flock. A shield, an archer, and an unorthodox ability. You guys won’t be easy to fight, that’s for sure.” Eren stared at her suspiciously for a moment before he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I’ll trust you. Because understand that Historia already knows this and if you tell anyone, she’ll be in trouble.” Ymir’s eyes widened and she nodded seriously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If Historia’s involved I definitely won’t tell anyone.” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now. Since you’re here, why don’t you give us some tips on flying.” Ymir made a shocked expression before she grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cocky little shit,” she chuckled. But despite her attitude she did help them by pointing out techniques they could use to fly longer faster, what they should do right after the race began, and a variety of other tips based on their wings and experience. Later while they practiced Connie spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t realize that Historia knew about the flock?” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She probably knows the truth about my mom but I don’t think she knows about the flock. However, if Ymir thinks that revealing it would put Historia in danger then she’ll keep quiet to protect her.” Connie nodded and Eren glanced at the position of the sun. He sighed and circled back towards the edge of the forest. Ymir glanced up as they landed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” She asked. Connie shrugged and Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should stop for today. I don’t want anyone to be super sore for tomorrow and we still need to get something to eat since I don’t think we’ve eaten anything.” At that moment Marco’s stomach, as if knowing it was being talked about, grumbled loudly. Marco blushed and Ymir snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I suppose you should get something to eat. Good news is that tomorrow’s flight doesn’t start until noon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And </span>
  </em>
  <span>there’s been a buffet luncheon dinner thing going on since the end of the fights. Since you’re participants you’re allowed to use it to. Shall we go together?” Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have a problem with it. How about you guys?” They shook their heads and Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll follow your lead, Ymir.” Ymir smiled and turned to head back to the castle. When they reached the entryway someone flew up to Ymir, immediately informing Eren and the others this person was not from the Engeltochter flock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lady Ymir! I have found out what happened to the previous nobles from the Engeltochter flock after Lady Carla disappeared!” She said. Her eyes flicked past Ymir and widened when they landed on Eren and the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax Ilse, they won’t tell anyone,” Ymir said. Ilse stood nervously, fluttering her wings hesitantly. “So, what have you found?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! It appears that those who were opposed to Kruger were made examples of. They were either kicked out of the flock or...</span>
  <em>
    <span>killed</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she whispered. Eren’s eyes widened. He’d figured as much but that didn’t make it any better to have it confirmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any news of the nobles who were kicked out?” She asked, eyes narrowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve all been </span>
  <em>
    <span>mysteriously </span>
  </em>
  <span>killed in rogue flock attacks. Some of the current nobles were actually recruited from rogue flocks,” Ilse said. Ymir frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any nobles from her time who survived?” She asked. Ilse nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s one. A man by the name of Mike Zacharius but he won’t talk to me and is nearly always around Kruger. Or rather, it feels like Kruger keeps Zacharius close to him.” Eren’s eyes widened at the mention of Mike though, when he thought about it, it made sense that they would realize he’s the last noble from Carla’s time. Ymir clicked her tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dammit. So Kruger’s keeping him close so no one can ask about Carla. Damn him.” She bit her thumbnail in frustration. Eren tapped her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you just want to talk to Mike I might be able to arrange that in the flight race?” Ymir’s eyes widened. She bit her lip but sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you can actually arrange that, I would be extremely grateful.” Ilse gasped in shock to see Ymir bowing to someone else. Ymir glared at her and Ilse zipped her lips shut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I’ll see if I can get in contact with him,” Eren said with a smile  “Now, where is this banquet?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ymir’s eyebrows raised and she laughed, snickering softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright. Let’s go get some food in you four.” Eren nodded and they entered the banquet hall. There were fewer people there than he was expecting but Eren didn’t mind. It meant there was more food for them. As soon as they entered Sasha and Connie went for the buffet line, eagerly grabbing some of the food that was sitting on it. Marco glanced around before his eyes softened and a small smile graced his lips. Eren followed his gaze and saw Jean talking with some other nobles. He smirked and continued looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder who those are,” Ymir said. Eren followed her gaze and was shocked to see four hooded figures. “I heard they were Historia’s guests. Dammit, who the hell are they and what’s their relationship with my Historia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s fine,” Eren said with a snicker. He smiled and his stomach practically snarled at him. He sighed and patted it. “And I think that’s my cue to go get something to eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignoring Ymir who was trying to interrogate him about the hooded figures, Eren descended and grabbed some snacks to eat. As soon as it touched his tongue and it’s flavors spilled into his mouth, his stomach decided to declare its hunger. His stomach twisted itself painfully and Eren winced, struggling to force his memories down. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunger...pain...tests. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>...stop it. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gleaming steel...blood seeping down his skin. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>...stop it!</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunger...temperature dropping. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>It hurts! Stop!</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Feathers falling…cutting his stomach open. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>                 Please stop! </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren?” He blinked, flinching at someone calling his name. He looked up and saw silver eyes gleaming at him. Levi watched him cautiously from beneath his hood. “You’re shaking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren noticed that he was. It was bad enough that his food was rolling around on his plate as he shook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just some...unpleasant memories. I’m fine now,” he said. Levi watched him worriedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I can’t stay here for long or it will look suspicious but take care of yourself.” Eren smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Levi. I’m fine now.” Eren turned and walked off, leaving Levi by the food. He practically inhaled the remaining snacks on his plate before hurrying over to meet up with Connie and Sasha. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you are Eren, we were wondering where you went,” Sasha said as he approached. He smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I went to get some food,” he said. Sasha raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where is it?” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already ate it.” Sasha looked affronted when he said that and shook her head in disappointment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too skinny, eat more. Here, I’ll share with you.” Eren’s eyes widened when he took in the plates laden with food behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, that explains the stares,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he glanced around. The nobles dressed in expensive clothes stared at Sasha with disgust as she happily devoured the food. Eren’s stomach growled loudly and he blushed before sitting down. Connie smirked at him while he stuffed his mouth with a drumstick. Eren picked up a fork and knife before pulling some sort of steak over towards himself. He cut into it and ate slowly, because he had at least some amount of manners, compared to Sasha who was practically shoveling the food into her mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few bites of the delicious food his stomach began to feel heavy. When he felt it might come back up if he ate anymore, Eren set his silverware down and frowned at the remaining half of the steak. Sasha glanced up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong Eren?” He forced a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m full, that’s all.” Sasha’s eyes widened and she frowned before shrugging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t want it, I’m happy to eat what’s left,” she suggested. Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was yours to begin with so if you want it, have it.” She yanked the plate closer to her as she placed the one she’d just been using on the growing stack of plates. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ve certainly got a healthy appetite,” Reiner said as he came up behind her. Sasha hunched over her food, glaring at him. He held up his hands innocently. “Relax, I’m not going to tell you to stop. It’s just an unusual sight at these sorts of things. Most people only snack here despite having so much food for them to eat.” Sasha’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why all the portions are so small!” She said before frowning. Eren felt his stomach rumble nervously and he put his hand on it, a little worried he might throw up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ll go to bed,” Eren said, standing up. Reiner frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going to eat anymore? Are you sure? I thought you hadn’t eaten all day?” Eren smiled sadly under Reiner’s questions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a small appetite, that’s all.” Reiner frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too skinny, you should eat more.” Eren shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I eat any more I’m going to throw up. So goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a smile. He slipped out the doors and rubbed his stomach uncomfortably. Had he really eaten enough for him to react this way? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren? Are you alright?” Eren turned and was relieved to see a familiar blonde giant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mike. I’m fine.” Mike stared at him suspiciously but sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re sure.” He turned to head back in and Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mike, wait!” Mike turned, tilting his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you can separate from the other nobles during the race tomorrow? Ymir wants to meet with you and talk about Carla.” Mike frowned and thought about it. He nodded slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t get along with me so I think they’ll be fine even if I leave. But why is Ymir looking into Carla?” Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. She also looked into what happened to the other nobles from Carla’s time.” Mike’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak but froze when the door cracked open and voices could be heard. He froze and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go for now so Kruger doesn’t get suspicious. See you tomorrow Eren,” he said. Eren nodded and slowly walked back to his room, feeling his stomach rumble. He slipped into the basement and curled up on his blankets. He slowly drifted off to sleep, wings curled around himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasha and Connie watched as Eren left before Marco joined them. Marco frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he alright?” Sasha shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said he’s full but he hasn’t eaten much and he was shaking earlier. I’m worried.” Connie frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sash, do you think we should make breakfast early tomorrow morning?” Sasha nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something light and easy to eat.” Marco looked back and saw Mike entering. Their eyes met and Mike nodded before walking back to Kruger’s side. Marco sighed in relief. It seemed Eren was fine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco, I think you should go to bed early,” Jean said, standing next to him. Sasha and Connie jumped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you get there??” Jean raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just barely. Anyway, Marco, it is probably a good idea to head to bed early. You don’t want to be tired for tomorrow.” Marco nodded to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Jean,” Jean nodded and left. Sasha and Connie raised an eyebrow at the plain, almost boring conversation between the two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that about? I expected him to be more lovey dovey like usual,” Connie said. Marco smiled sadly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a commoner and he’s a noble. With so many eyes on us we have to at least try to hide. But I suppose he just couldn’t help but tell me to get some sleep.” He turned to them with a smile. “I’m heading to bed now. Don’t overstuff yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They watched as he went off before Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s go. We need to get some sleep for tomorrow.” Sasha cleaned the last food from her plate before taking Connie’s arm and walking out together. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is the last chapter I will be updating on a Sunday. The next chapter will come on February 6th. Hope  you enjoyed reading and sorry that it's shorter than normal.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. The Long Distance Flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren and co will now begin the long distance flight.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren woke to someone shaking his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren. Eren wake up,” Sasha said. He yawned and sat up, stretching slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha? Why are you waking me up so early?” He asked through a second yawn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you can eat breakfast,” she said, pulling him to his feet. Eren staggered upright and Sasha frowned at the sight of his ribs. They were still exposed but significantly less compared to when he’d first arrived. Eren didn’t notice her stare, too distracted by his sleepiness. She tossed a shirt at him and Eren put it on before going up the stairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scent of warm rice pudding greeted his nose and immediately Eren’s attention focused. He quickly sat down at the kitchen isle and waited for food to be served. Sasha snorted at him as she came up while Connie dished some of it into a bowl. He set it and a spoon in front of Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat up Eren, you’ll need your energy for today!” Eren happily dug into it, causing the others to wince when they realized how hot the food actually was. Yet Eren didn’t seem affected in the least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Slow down Eren, you don’t want to burn your tongue!” Marco said, pulling the bowl away from him. Eren pouted before speaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine though.” Marco frowned but hesitantly set the bowl back in front of Eren. Thankfully Eren didn’t immediately start wolfing it down again. He slowly scooped some on his spoon and blew on it before putting it in his mouth. Marco nodded and Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end Eren had two bowls before he was full. Sasha held out his uniform and he went back downstairs to change into it. When he came back to the kitchen the others were waiting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So when do we have to start the race?” He asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This and the power show all start at noon. We’re supposed to be there by eleven and wait for the other teams to arrive,” Connie answered. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we still have to wait for the pompous nobles to show up?” He sighed. The others shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing we can do about it. By the way, what was up yesterday? Why is the noble you were fighting now a member of our flock??” Sasha asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His name is Mike Zacharius. Apparently he was a noble during my mother’s reign dabs only stuck around during Kruger’s reign in hopes that my mom or her kids would appear.” Their eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...you let him into the flock?” Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He seems honest and he knew my mom. He’s a more experienced source of information for us so I don’t see a reason not to.” They hesitantly glanced between each other before Connie sighed and scratched his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I suppose if you think that then there’s nothing we can do about it. Besides, he’s already in the flock so we might as well just deal with it,” he said with a smile. Eren smiled gratefully at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you boys are done with your talk, mind helping me with the dishes?” Sasha asked, nodding towards the remaining dishes that needed to be washed from breakfast. Eren got up and helped wash them while Marco dried them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...what do we do while we wait?” Connie asked. Sasha shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, tell jokes? Funny stories? What do you want to do?” Connie grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I’ll tell a joke. We’ll go around in a circle and tell each other a joke to pass the time! Alright, let’s start. Hmm...oh! Sasha? How does a squid go into battle?” Sasha rolled her eyes at being the first target. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, how does one?” Connie snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well armed.” Marco snorted while Sasha rolled her eyes. Eren laughed at that, remembering faintly the odd shaped creatures from when he’d been moving around with his mom. Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I suppose I’m next. Alright Marco, what’s the best thing about Switzerland?” Marco frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Their...chocolate?” he suggested. Sasha chuckled. Marco sighed. “I don’t know, what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. But their flag is a huge plus.” Eren frowned, not getting it while Marco laughed and Connie snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he asked. Connie chuckled and Sasha decided to explain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what you say when something is good about something else? You call it a plus. And Switzerland’s flag is literally a bright red plus sign. That’s what makes the joke funny.” Eren nodded and Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not as funny when you have to explain the joke.” Eren winced and looked down, feeling guilty that he’d ruined the happy cheerful feeling that they’d had because he was too stupid to understand the joke. Sasha frowned and smacked the back of Connie’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up Connie, no one asked you. Anyway Marco, it’s your turn.” Marco nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, I have a joke for you.” Eren looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Marco smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common?” Eren shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.” Marco smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same middle name,” he said. Eren frowned and then his eyes widened when he got the joke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! That’s good!” he laughed. Connie sighed and Sasha smiled at the two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, it’s your turn,” Sasha reminded. Eren blinked and frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...let me think...oh! I remember my mom telling me this one. Connie, what did the right eye say to the left eye?” Connie frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know...I see you?” Eren shook his head, a grin crossing his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Between you and me, something smells.” Connie paused, thinking it over before he cracked up laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The nose! Ha! Alright, Sasha, I got another for you.” Sasha smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring it, dork. I’ll take you on anytime.” They grinned and so it went for the next two hours. It continued in a circle for a while and Eren had a blast. Marco glanced at the clock and his face fell. Eren glanced at him before following his gaze to the clock. It was ten forty five. He stood and Connie and Sasha looked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should we head to the field? It’s almost time.” Sasha and Connie looked at the clock before they nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go.” Together all four of them exited the kitchen and walked towards the field. They nearly ran into Rico on their way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys!” Rico said. Sasha grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Rico!” She embraced Rico who seemed surprised for a moment before she let a small smile cross her lips. She pulled back and pinched Sasha’s cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was up with your fights yesterday? Two of you are early manifesters and the other two won their fights even without them? What the hell?” she asked as she stepped back. Eren smiled sheepishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess we were stronger than we thought.” Rico snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that was the cause of your victory but whatever. If you don’t want to tell me then I won’t ask. Good luck in the flight today. Perhaps if you reach the top three you’ll get promoted to nobles?” Eren smiled and the others chuckled and nodded as they passed her, knowing that they already were technically nobles. They reached the empty pitch first and waited under the blazing sun for others to arrive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should strategize how we’re going to do this,” Eren said. Sasha nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The most dangerous moments are right after the race begins because everyone, particularly the Engeltochter nobles, want to eliminate any potential competitors. As long as we can escape that then we can figure out anything else later,” Marco said. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still need to figure out exactly how to meet up with Ymir and Mike so they can talk. But we should focus on the bigger issue first, huh?” The others nodded at Eren’s words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I say we should have you leading us Eren. You’re the fastest and best at flying so that would make takeoff easier,” Sasha said. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually think that Connie and I should be on the sides with you leading Sasha. Because that way Connie and I with our sharpened feathers can keep others from approaching our flanks and once we’re in the safe zone we can rotate so Marco leads since he’s the best at maintaining our pace.” The others paused to think about Eren’s suggestion. Marco shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But they only think that Connie has that ability. I agree that our priority is getting into the air and getting out as fast as possible. You’re the best when it comes to that sort of thing. After that we can meet up with Ymir and Mike since no one will be able to monitor us.” Connie and Sasha nodded, clearly agreeing with Marco’s opinion. Eren glanced at them and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. We’ll do that but afterwards we’ll rotate between everyone in ten minute increments. That way we don’t exhaust ourselves.” The others nodded and they heard footsteps approaching. They looked up and saw Ymir approaching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys!” she said, waving as she approached. Once they were close enough she could talk quietly enough that they wouldn’t be overheard, her eyes immediately became serious. “Any word on talking with Zacharius?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. He’s agreed to it and we figured we’d do it as soon as possible. So follow us once we get out of here and hopefully he should come after us.” Ymir nodded. Connie frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ymir, why are you so interested in this?” he asked. Ymir sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to get rid of Kruger. But I don’t have the evidence to do so as I am.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you want to get rid of him? Sure he’s not a good person but what’s the reason?” he asked. Ymir stared at him before she sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m shocked that you of all people don’t know. Kruger is a fanatic about getting rid of half breeds. Any flock that is more half breed than purebred gets targeted by him. We all know that but without solid evidence that he was involved with their fall we can’t punish him. He already took out the Arlert flock.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arlert flock? Like Armin?” Ymir nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Arlerts were known for being accepting of pretty much everyone. Kruger must not’ve liked how many half breeds they let in because as soon as the percentage of half breeds to purebreds exceeded a five to one ratio things started going horribly wrong for the Arlerts. According to Armin, Kruger mocked his grandfather when Kruger came to get the papers saying that the Arlerts turned their territory over to the Engeltochters.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...why does that matter to you?” Ymir sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right now the Valkyries have a four to one ratio of half breeds to purebreds. In other words, if we increase any more than we are right now then we’ll be targeted. We’ll be harder to take down than the peace loving Arlerts but that’s not to say that we won’t struggle. That’s why I have to find evidence of his crimes right now before he can do anything.” Eren nodded and they heard more footsteps. Reiner and Bertolt appeared on the pitch and they grinned when they saw them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys!” Reiner said. Connie waved eagerly and ran up to the bigger man. Ymir and Eren watched from a distance as the others laughed and cheered with each other. Ymir glanced at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to take over the Engeltochter flock?” she whispered. Eren glanced at her and she looked back at the others. “You could do it you know. All you have to do is say that Carla Engeltochter is your mother. With your face and abilities no one would doubt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry...I already have a flock to look after. They’re a pain in the ass and can be a little much for me right now but I can’t take over a completely different flock.” Ymir snorted. She sighed and shook her head, a soft smile on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somehow I knew you’d say that.” Eren smiled sadly and turned his attention back to his flock members. They glanced up as the Reid’s teams arrived and Ymir sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’mma head back to my flock now. Reiner! Bertolt! We’re about to start!” She called to the others. They looked up and sighed before hurrying back to their posts as the Engeltochter nobles arrived on the field. Mike glanced at Eren and Eren frowned, noting that there was a faded bruise on Mike’s cheek. Kruger and the flock leaders arrived and cheers went up from the crowd that had gathered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let us begin the second main event of the Wing Tournament. The long distance flight competition. All teams that are able will be participating. However, if you cannot actually fly then you will be immediately disqualified.” Murmurs went up from the crowd and Eren raised an eyebrow when he saw Kruger’s victorious smirk. He tilted his head and smirked. Historia sighed and stepped forward, pushing Kruger out of the way so she could speak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The goal is to reach the designated location in two days time. All of you </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>have already been notified as to the location you need to reach. The top three teams to arrive are obviously the winners although if the majority of a team is disqualified then only the ones who arrive win. Good luck contestants!” She stepped aside and Kruger stepped forward again, giving Historia a dirty look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And, let the race begin!” Immediately Cain and Sasha’s opponent, Leonardo, rushed towards them. Cain had a cruel gleam in his eyes and Eren glared back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone stay behind me?” He said. Immediately he jumped and took off, gasps of shock echoing from the Engeltochter flock members. The others all flew behind him as Eren soared to go between Leonardo and Cain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got you now!” Cain said as he swerved to stop him. Eren ducked under his grasping hand and sharpened his feathers. There was a sharp slicing noise and Leonardo and Cain plummeted towards the group, half of their flight feathers cut to pieces. Eren barrel rolled to the left and straightened out, immediately picking up speed as the others took their places in diamond formation behind him. He glanced back and saw Kruger’s shocked face. Historia smirked and took the microphone from him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Contestants Cain and Leonardo are disqualified as they are unable to fly,” she said smugly. Gardi slowly took to the air with his tiny wings while Mike spread his wings and soared after them. Ymir followed them as they soared off and once they were out of sight Eren circled down towards the ground. Connie, Sasha, and Marco landed on the branches of a nearby tree while Eren, Mike, and Ymir landed on the ground. Ilse followed Ymir to the ground with her notebook while the rest of Ymir’s team landed on the branches. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what did you want to ask?” Mike asked. Ymir stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are your thoughts on Kruger?” She asked. Mike sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a poor leader and he shouldn’t be the leader of the Engeltochter flock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you believe that he is responsible for Carla Engeltochter’s disappearance?” Mike frowned and slowly shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think perhaps his hatred of half breeds could’ve been a factor in her leaving, but I don’t think he was directly responsible.” Ymir frowned and Ilse wrote down something in her journal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright then...do you believe Carla is alive?” Mike shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I’m certain she’s already dead.” Ymir frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes you say that?” She asked. Mike glared at her and Eren noticed his feathers fluff defensively. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I have already received confirmation from someone who saw her die. Don’t pry further.” Ymir flinched and looked down for a second before she looked back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think Kruger was responsible for the downfall of the Arlerts?” She asked. Mike nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know for a fact he is.” Immediately Ymir was more invested in the conversation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did he bring them down?” Mike narrowed his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hired members of rogue flocks to join their ranks and tear it down from the inside while he simply waited at home.” Ymir narrowed her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by ‘cause havoc’?” She asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He told them to embezzle funds and start fights. In such a large flock it was only natural that there were inner factions that didn’t get along. Once they got fighting, failure to stop the fights would be blamed on the flock leader while the fights continued to escalate. Using this strategy, eventually the flock would run out of funds to support itself while also breaking apart. In the end old man Arlert wasn’t able to keep going with so few funds and so many people leaving the flock. He had to turn over the rights of his territory to Kruger.” Ymir frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what does that mean for our flock?” Mike shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your flock would probably be fine. You’re so militarized that if anyone came in and started causing trouble you’d beat the shit out of them and then kick them out.” Ymir nodded slowly and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that was all I wanted to ask so...I guess now we should get back in the race.” Mike nodded and Ymir took off, the others soaring behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for agreeing to talk to her Mike,” Eren said. Mike shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to help her try to bring Kruger off his throne and this gives us a favor over them. Now we have leverage. The Valkyries take their favors very seriously.” Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let’s go and do our best in the competition.” Mike nodded and together they soared up above the trees. Eren paused by the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready to go?” They grinned and jumped from the branch, easily flying back into the sky. Eren grinned and took off after them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, you lead!” Sasha called, positioning herself to his left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asked, confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to make up for lost time!” Connie said cheerfully. Eren grinned and soared higher, wings clawing at the air. The others whooped and followed him. He reached the clouds and glanced around, frowning </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we supposed to go?” He asked. Sasha looked around and her eyes glowed as if she were activating her power. She stared at the surroundings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” she said, pointing at a small hill. Eren glanced at it and saw a tiny speck of red. Sure enough he could see the other flocks flying low over the trees towards the point. It was too short though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why there?” He asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first four who arrive at the station will receive instructions to reach the second point. We’ll reach seven before receiving instructions on how to make it to the finish line. We should be able to reach four in one day,” Connie explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded and then dove towards it. Their eyes widened and they followed, shooting forward. Considering the height they’d been at they practically moved as fast as an arrow coming down. As they got closer Eren glanced at the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tuck and roll!” He shouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Reiner frowned as he approached the meet up spot. He would’ve expected Ymir to have already passed him but he was first to arrive here, his team hot on his heels. Then he heard something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tuck and roll!” He glanced up to the left where the sound had come from before he jerked back to avoid flying into someone coming in fast. He stared as the people hit the ground and rolled, one of them snatching a paper from the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren?!!” Reiner cried in shock, watching as the four somersaulted after their landing before pushing off the ground and shooting back into the air. Connie glanced back at him and grinned before following. Reiner stared after them, frowning. Had Eren’s wings...grown?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reiner!” One of his teammates called. Reiner lunged forward and snatched one of the remaining papers, just narrowly grabbing second place as Ymir appeared out of nowhere. She clicked her tongue in irritation and took one of the papers, disappearing into the woods again. Reiner sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We better pick up the pace,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie! What does the paper say?” Eren asked. Connie unfolded the paper and read it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fly to an ocean cliff side. At the bottom of the cliff is a cave where you will find your next directions,” he read. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what cave they’re talking about though...any ideas?” Connie frowned and shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” he said. Sasha shrugged and Marco frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might know but it’s a decent distance away. It might be a detour.” Eren glanced at Marco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s worth checking out. We have no other hints, so let’s go.” Marco nodded and took the lead position, guiding them as they turned to the left and soared straight out to sea. Eren watched as the forest slowly disappeared beneath them, replaced with bright green grassland. Their shadows flashed over the land, diving and rising as the hills appraised. Marco led them to a cliff with a beautiful view of the ocean. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow,” Sasha said. For a moment they got distracted by the sight. Eren stared at the brilliant blue water, seemingly entranced by it. A tear slipped down his cheek as he recalled his faint memories with his mother by the sea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren? You okay?” Eren snapped out of it and noticed the others staring at him with concern written all over their faces. Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. Just...nostalgic.” They nodded and Eren jumped down, flapping his wings to slow his fall. Sure enough there was a cave where the water lapped about a foot up. Eren noted a brown box tied to the ceiling and he soared up and opened it. He pulled out a piece of paper while he heard Sasha and Connie cheer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He soared back up above the cliff and landed, opening the paper. He frowned and turned it over, trying to make sense of the symbols. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong Eren?” Marco asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t read it.” Their eyes widened. Eren’s memories of different languages had faded but he remembered that anytime he’d seen the writing again, he remembered what they meant. So for there to be something he couldn’t read...it was odd. Connie peered over his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? It’s obviously the directions,” he said. The other two peered at the paper and they all looked at him in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s gibberish to me,” Sasha said. Marco nodded and Connie took the paper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Disguise your wings, hide your things. Your directions are waiting, where gears are grating,” he said. They frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you read it?” Sasha asked. Eren studied Connie, noting a faint glowing on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connie, why are you glowing?” Sasha and Marco looked at him, squinting to see the glow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yellow glow...translating what is untranslatable...Connie! You’re a merchant!” Marco said, finally figuring out why Connie could read it. Connie went pale and collapsed to his knees. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!! Why?!? Why couldn’t I be a swordsman or mage?? Even an enchanter is better than a merchant!” He whined. Sasha patted his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that bad,” she said with a smile. Connie sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really hoped to be something a little more impressive,” he sighed. Eren smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not bad. Besides, because of you, now we have a chance of winning. Think about how likely it is that the other teams brought a merchant with them,” he said. Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.” Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They can still decode it with magic but that takes significantly longer than just having a merchant on the team. Anyways, where do we have to go?” She stated. Connie shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where gears are grating or something…I don’t know.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hide your wings...maybe we need to head to a city?” He suggested. They glanced at him and frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense...if we need to hide our wings then we probably are going somewhere with normal humans,” Marco said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But where are the gears grating?” Connie asked. Sasha frowned and then snapped her fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The carnival!” They stared at her in confusion and Sasha grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember when we went there on our date Connie? They had an old fashioned train right? Doesn’t that have gears in it?” Connie frowned and slowly nodded his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so? Well, it’s worth a shot.” Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Sasha, you lead the flock close to the city where this thing is and then we’ll hide our wings.” Sasha nodded and jumped off the cliff, soaring up as the others followed. As the rising shine of skyscrapers came into view and Sasha didn’t slow Eren took the lead and led them down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasha, why didn’t you stop?” He hissed. She tilted her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we could head to one of the Engeltochter facilities where they would give us normal clothes and gauze to bind our wings with. Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you forget that most if not all of the Engeltochter flock members are back at the castle?” She shook her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since they can’t monitor what we do during this time everyone goes back to their usual jobs while the teams travel.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what’s the whole point of the race?” He hissed. Sasha sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s to show who’s fastest at solving puzzles and shit. Once they receive confirmation that all the teams have made it through a station they’ll announce what the hints were so those watching, listening, etc, know what’s going on.” Eren sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright...if you think you can get us to wherever we’re heading </span>
  <em>
    <span>without </span>
  </em>
  <span>being spotted, then fine. We’ll fly over the city.” Sasha nodded and took off, the others following her. They soared over the city, high enough that it would be hard for any person on the ground to identify what they were. She circled and landed on the roof of a massive skyscraper. She reached over and rang a little doorbell next to the door. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, if Engeltochter flock members aren’t allowed to fly...then why is there a doorbell here?” He asked. Sasha shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s been here since before Kruger made that rule. I’m not sure.” Someone opened the door and took in the sight of their wings and clothes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on in and get changed. I take it that something in the race led you to the city?” Sasha nodded and Connie smiled. She led them into a warehouse like room with boxes placed on shelves all throughout the room. She dug through them before she pulled some out of the boxes and threw them at Eren. Then she pulled out a roll of gauze and tossed it to him. “Get changed, don’t take off your uniform though or you’ll be disqualified.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded and went into a side room, changing into the clothes. He glanced up in the mirror and his eyes widened. A neat button up shirt and tight black jeans were the first thing he saw. He was still wearing the boots from the uniform though they matched with it, oddly enough. He opened the door and stepped out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I look okay?” He asked, taking in their shocked faces. The woman came over and straightened his shirt before nodding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look very good. As for you three, go change. I've already given you the clothes and gauze so quit waiting for him, there are other rooms." The others jolted and quickly went in side-rooms to change. Connie emerged first, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. His T-shirt read 'Acute baby' under an acute angle with a little face in the arch between the lines. Eren chuckled and Connie rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does it fit me?" he asked, posing and biting his lip in an exaggerated manner. A hand whacked him in the back of the head and he fell forward, Sasha appearing behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you flirting with other people?" she asked, grinning darkly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course not, I only have eyes for you." Sasha nodded and Eren took in what she was wearing. A bright green shirt that brought out the red in her hair. Black lettering crossed over it and Eren squinted to read it. 'I have red hair because God knew I needed a warning label.' He burst out laughing after reading that and Sasha snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, were you looking at my chest?" she teased. Eren blushed bright red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! I mean...yes, technically but...it wasn't...I didn't mean!" Connie and Sasha doubled over laughing and Eren turned more red as they teased him. A hand landed on their shoulders before Marco spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys, stop teasing Eren. We need to all work together on this and if you embarrass him, he may not want to work together." Connie and Sasha pouted and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Party pooper," Connie said as they stepped aside so Marco could pass. Marco was wearing a white T-shirt under a tan leather jacket. His black pants were tighter than what he was used to so he kept shifting around uncomfortably but he looked incredible. Sasha whistled while Connie mutter "Damn!" under his breath. Marco blushed and the woman cleared her throat to gain attention. They looked back at her, embarrassed to have completely forgotten she was there. She smiled at them and opened another door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can take the elevator down to the lobby. Good luck with the race." She nodded her head to them before walking off. Connie and Sasha smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, let's go use the elevator!" Marco and Eren followed them, slightly more subdued than they were. Eren frowned when he saw Connie and Sasha's mischievous smiles as they got on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are they so excited?" he asked. Marco sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Connie and Sasha are from small villages that don't have elevators and the only chance they get to use elevators is on their once a month day off if they head to the city. For them it's kind of like a shiny new toy." Eren stared at him in bewilderment but shrugged and got on the elevator. It descended smoothly and Connie and Sasha had yelped when that feeling of brief weightlessness hit them. They reached a moderately busy lobby floor where people were bustling around and talking. Marco managed to corral the team who had been getting distracted, Marco and Sasha wanted to go back up the elevator and Eren was just busy taking in the sights, but they finally managed to end up in front of the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you guys ready to behave like normal people?" Marco asked, glaring down at them. They nodded guiltily and Marco sighed. "Fine. I'll trust you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened the door and Sasha grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go! Into the breach!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm back! Finally! I never realized how long two weeks would take to crawl by. Anyways, thanks for waiting and here's another chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The Hunters vs The Hunted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The commoner Engeltochter team is doing quite well, already reaching the third trial before anyone else. However, perhaps things may not be as easy as they seem.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The city outside was busy but not as busy as some of the places in Eren’s memory. Then again, they were faint so perhaps they were remembered incorrectly? Sasha laughed and tugged Connie with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on guys, let’s go!” Eren smiled and followed after them as Marco sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d think they’d never been to a city before,” he muttered. Eren chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let it go Marco, we’re already here, let’s enjoy ourselves!” They reached the train station quickly and Eren paused. There was a long line of people standing in front of the train, holding out little tickets. “By the way...don’t we need to buy the tickets?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others froze and Eren knew he was right. They didn’t exactly have money on them and didn’t have the slightest clue where an ATM was. Sasha turned around with a frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we do now? If it were any of the other teams they’d easily be able to whip out their credit cards and buy a ticket but we can’t do that!” She said. Connie looked around before noticing a second conductor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s that guy?” He asked, pointing towards the man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s holding a sign,” Marco commented. Eren glanced over and turned himself so he could read the sign properly. It read ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tell me the following line and I’ll let you on the train for free: Your directions are waiting...what?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, I think that’s him,” Eren said. He carefully walked over to the conductor who looked him up and down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you here to finish the line?” He asked. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ‘where gears are grating’.” The conductor glanced at the others as they stood next to Eren. He nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is correct. Welcome Engeltochter team, you are the first to arrive.” Sasha giggled softly and she and Connie danced in place a little. Marco sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m ashamed to be seen in public with you two,” he muttered. The conductor smiled and led them to a different car than the other people were getting on. Eren noticed a third conductor appear and take his place. Their conductor entered the car and they followed. He turned to face them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somewhere in this car there are your next instructions. You must find them to move forward. Good luck.” With that he stepped off and shut the door. They frowned for a moment before hearing a sharp whistle. Connie went pale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The train’s moving!” Suddenly the floor jolted under them as they were yanked forward. Sasha and Connie grabbed each other for support while Eren grabbed the door handle and Marco’s arm. Once they felt stable they sighed and let go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. So not only do we have to get on the train we also have to find our next instructions...where would they hide them?” Eren said. Connie shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I don’t know. What I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>know is that Sasha and I are masters at finding things people don’t want us to find. Right Marco?” Marco glared at Connie and huffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t bring that up,” he sighed. Eren tilted his head in confusion but shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well...get to it then,” he said. They grinned and Eren watched in horror as they tore the room to shreds, yanking out drawers and opening cupboards before flipping everything over. His jaw dropped and he glanced at Marco, pointing in horror at the wreckage Sasha and Connie were leaving behind. Marco sighed and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Found it!” Sasha cheered. A zipping noise echoed in the room and Eren watched as Sasha pulled an envelope out of the mattress. She zipped it back up and then in a flash she and Connie put the room back together. Eren’s jaw dropped as he stared at the pristine, spotless room. It looked exactly as it had when they’d come in but cleaner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How..?” Marco sighed and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only way you’ll ever know that Sasha and Connie have been in your room is how clean it is. They try to clean it better to hide how they searched through it,” he said. Connie and Sasha grinned innocently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve seen this before,” Eren said. Marco nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When Jean started approaching me they um...brought me with them to search his room for any...</span>
  <em>
    <span>incriminating </span>
  </em>
  <span>evidence.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blackmail material, in other words,” Eren said bluntly. Marco nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you guys focus? We have what we came for, let’s read it.” She opened the letter and pulled it out, glancing over what it said before handing it to Connie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t read it.” Eren nodded, understanding. Connie frowned and twisted it around, turning it upside down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...it says to find the head maid at the Engeltochter castle.” Eren tilted his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that just telling us to find Rico?” Marco frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are two possibilities that could happen. First is that Rico is ordered to avoid us so it’s not just finding her, it’s also catching her. Or, it could be that she’s been captured and is now hidden somewhere in the castle.” Eren frowned, somehow unable to picture Rico being tied up and asking for help. All he could see in his head was her grinning as she mercilessly kicked their asses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Either way we have the advantage of home territory,” Sasha said with a grin. Eren nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now we just need to get off this train and out of the city,” he said. Connie smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll ride this train to the last stop and then hop out.” They sat down and waited for the ride to end. Once the train came to a stop and they heard the shout of ‘last stop!’ they jumped off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow...we’re already almost halfway done!” Connie said with a cheer. Eren thought about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, how many of these are there? Also, I feel like there’s less flying than was implied by the whole ‘long distance’ flight thing.” The others stared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well what did you expect us to do, fly across the ocean? Obviously we have to stay in the area and preferably not get seen by random people.” Sasha said. Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So where we can fly is limited. Relax, even if we have to go back to the castle we can still fly there because we’re participating.” Eren nodded since Connie’s statement made sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Now, let's go!" Sasha cheered as she darted into the woods, hurriedly throwing off her normal shirt and pants. Eren and Marco blushed and looked away while Connie laughed and followed her actions. Marco and Eren also removed the casual clothes but they made sure to fold them nicely and give each other privacy, ignoring the soft groans and moans coming from where Connie and Sasha disappeared to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Um, are you two done with your quicky or should we wait?" Eren called. The groans stopped and laughter echoed from where the two were. They came through the bushes, grinning and Marco sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Relax guys, we were only having a quick makeout session, can't we do that?" Connie said with a snicker. Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then why were you moaning?" he asked. Connie and Sasha grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, we know that you're innocent in the ways of romance but if you and your hot raven haired man ever kiss, I think you'll quickly find out exactly why we were moaning," Sasha said. Eren blushed and glared at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not like that between Levi and I!" They cackled evilly at his embarrassed expression while Eren huffed and pouted. Marco interfered with a soft smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on guys, we should get going, stop messing with Eren." They snickered but followed Marco into the air. Eren was the last to climb up, still a little miffed about how Connie and Sasha had teased him for his crush on Levi. It wasn't like Levi would return those feelings, after all. There was just no way. He'd see Eren as freaky, they were separate species, how was Levi supposed to love him? Tears began to bead in his eyes at this depressing thought but he shook his head and blinked them away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Levi wasn't like that. Levi was someone who was honest, to the point it was blunt. If he ever had a problem with Eren, he would've said so already. It's fine. It's fine, Levi wouldn't hurt Eren like that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Eren was lost in his thoughts he noticed they were quickly approaching the Engeltochter castle. Marco circled down as they got into a single line before landing. Eren glanced up and looked around. Some of the normal servants were looking at them in surprise as if wondering why competitors had come back to the starting point. Marco smiled at one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey Thomas!" A blonde haired servant with small, tan colored wings turned around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Marco, what are you doing back?" he asked with a smile, patting Marco's shoulder as he approached. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you happen to know where Rico is? One of the trials deals with the head maid so..." Thomas' eyes widened and he nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sure, I know where she is. She's in her office like usual." Eren followed the group while a frown graced his lips. In all honesty, despite knowing that Rico had a high ranked position, he'd never thought she was the head maid. She was the first person to help him after arriving here and she'd been bringing potatoes down to Sasha in the kitchen like some kind of errand girl so he just assumed she wasn't as high of an authority figure as others seemed to treat her as. They stood in front of the door that Thomas had lead them to and he smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She should be in here. Good luck with your trials," he said with a wave before walking off. Eren nodded and Marco waved back at him while Sasha and Connie psyched themselves up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, let's do this!" Sasha flung open the door and they entered the room. Rico, who had been working on some paperwork, paused and looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're here to catch you, Rico!" Connie said dramatically. Rico set down her pen and slowly stood up, but Eren shivered as he realized that her eyes had never left them. A soft smirk curled her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well then, I'm under orders not to go easy on the participants who come to catch me. So, forgive me for the rough treatment." She paused in front of the now shaking Connie and Sasha while Eren and Marco stood nervously behind them. She reached onto the desk and picked up a glasses case. She opened it and switched her normal glasses for a pair that had leather straps that could go all the way around her head. She smirked at them. "Good luck."</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile in the city</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ugh, you're here too?" Ymir hissed at Reiner. Reiner stared at her and shrugged. Ymir sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What trial are you on?" Reiner asked. Ymir groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm still on the second, we need to decode the hint. It's not going to be easy and we've already been at it for two hours," she said. Reiner sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lucky, we haven't even found the third hint yet. We're still exploring the caves but decided to do it in shifts so that we can take breaks every now and then." Ymir smirked. Reiner had a thought at that moment. "I wonder how Connie and Sasha's group are doing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They were first to reach the original hint so they aren't doing too badly," Ymir said. Reiner nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, but they don't have a mage on their team...so if the second clue needs to be translated then things aren't going to go well for them." Ymir sighed and waved her hand. <br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then I suppose they just won't make it as far as they'd hoped. In the end, it doesn't matter since no one ever expects the Engeltochter team to win. Even the noble team for them never did well." Reiner nodded at her comment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Still, it was kind of impressive how they took out two of the noble's team right out the gate," Reiner said. Ymir snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you see the faces of those pricks when they got their asses handed to them? Priceless." Reiner nodded. He checked his watch and realized that soon there would be an announcement on the placings of the teams. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, it's almost time for the announcement." Ymir nodded and put in her earbuds to listen. She and Reiner stood together as the announcement began to play. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good afternoon, participants. I'm sure you've all been looking forward to hearing the placements for almost the end of the first day. I am your announcer Historia Reiss and with me is a close friend, Armin Arlert." Ymir snorted softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That little coconut actually was allowed to do the announcements? What the hell, what on earth is Kruger doing?" Reiner chuckled at her comment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I bet Kruger is writhing with rage at this moment." Ymir nodded and focused in on the rankings as they approached the top three. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"In third place we currently have the noble Braun team. While they haven't found the clue to the second trial yet, they aren't far from it and they were able to take second for arriving at the first clue location. In second place, we have the noble Valkyrie team. These guys have already found the second clue and are currently in the process of decoding it via a magic spell. Sadly for you this is not something that can be easily translated but good luck!" Ymir's eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's someone ahead of us??" she asked incredulously, pressing the earbud further into her ear as if it would help her hear the name of the team faster. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Armin, would you like to announce first place?" Historia asked. Armin chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure, currently in first place is the commoner Engeltochter team, on the fourth trial." Reiner and Ymir were floored when they heard that. Not only had those guys been able to decode the second trial without a mage, they'd already passed the unknown third trial. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They're doing really well for commoners, aren't they?" Historia asked. Armin snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes they are but-" Suddenly the sound of a door banging open interrupted the broadcast. Faint voices could be heard and Ymir and Reiner listened closely to hear what was being said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"CONNIE DON'T GO IN THERE, THAT'S THE BROADCAST ROOM! IT'S A DEAD END!" they faintly heard Sasha shouting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck! I need to get out of here," Connie's voice said. Another voice entered the scene. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Too late, Connie." A scream echoed through the earbuds and they could faintly hear Sasha screaming Connie's name in the background. They heard the sound of someone patting their hands and there was a creak from the floor. "There, that should keep him unconscious for a few hours. Sorry for the interruption, please, go back to what you were doing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was the sound of someone being dragged across the floor and then a neat clicking noise as the door shut. There was a moment of silence before Historia and Armin burst out laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like I was saying, the commoner Engeltochter team has found that the fourth trial was a tad bit harder than they expected. It's quite amusing to watch them attempt to clear it. How many times has Connie been taken down now?" Armin asked. Historia snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He got tied up the first two times, passed out on the third, and now he's been knocked unconscious because of chloroform. I do kind of pity him for that." Armin snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Him and Sasha are doing really poorly on this trial."</span>
</p><p>"Anyways, that's all for the broadcast, see you soon!" With that it cut off. Ymir and Reiner stared at each other in a combination of shock and amusement. </p><p>"What the hell is going on over there??" Reiner asked with a chuckle. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eren vaulted over the banister and dropped down a floor, narrowly dodging Rico's grasping hands. Who was supposed to be hunting who again?? Connie had been destroyed within the first ten minutes and continued getting beaten within ten minutes of when he rejoined their little game of tag. Rico hadn't been kidding when she said she wasn't holding back. She was faster than anticipated and clearly hadn't taught them everything she knew when it came to hand to hand combat. Not to mention that it seemed like she'd been equipped with anything she could possibly need to beat them. Anything from rope to handcuffs to rags soaked in chloroform, she had it. Where she hid them on her person, Eren had no clue. </p><p>"FUCK! Where the hell did she get a chainsaw from???" Sasha screamed as she shot through the halls. Eren immediately backpedaled when he saw that yes, Rico had a chainsaw and was chasing Sasha, who was rapidly approaching. </p><p>"Rico, that's not fair!" Eren shouted as he soared back up the stairs. Rico laughed. </p><p>"You should be glad I'm not using my gun with tranquilizing darts!" she called as she chased them up the stairs. Sasha turned to try and fight Rico, a foolish act of bravery, and got hit with the flat side of the chainsaw. She dropped like a sack of potatoes and Rico tossed the chainsaw out the window. Eren heard screams from the innocent bystanders who nearly got their heads cut off by the flying bladed tool. She lunged forward to grab Eren but Marco stepped between them. </p><p>"SHIELD!" he shouted. Immediately his wings glowed red and he used them to block her attack. Rico smirked. </p><p>"Impressive, but how long can you keep that up?" she asked, attacking again. Marco slid back an inch under her ferocious attack before glancing back at Eren. </p><p>"GO! At least one of us needs to remain not caught while the others recover! Hurry!" Immediately Eren darted off, running as fast as he could with little wing flaps to increase his speed and the distance covered. As soon as Eren left the protective barrier of Marco's shield, Rico tried to go after him. Immediately a glowing wing swept in her face and she jumped back to avoid getting hit. Marco stared her down. "Your opponent is me."</p><p>"Brave little boy aren't you? I have to admit, I underestimated you Marco," she said with a smirk as she continued to attack. Marco's sacrifice gave Eren a total of twenty minutes. Which he promptly spent by getting horribly lost. He immediately started feeling guilty for wasting Marco's sacrifice but he reminded himself that he couldn't be blamed for it. He'd only been here a few months and most of the time had been spent only in a certain section. </p><p>"There you are, Eren," he shivered as he heard her voice behind him. He whirled and saw her lunging towards him so he immediately took off down the hall. He had no clue where he was going, only that he had to escape her. He could feel her catching up to him. He was gasping for breath, needing a break from running and was starting to feel hungry and sick. He turned a corner to evade her grasping hand, but something grabbed him. His eyes widened as he was yanked to the side and pulled against a very firm, muscled chest. The door clicked shut and Eren felt a hand gently cover his mouth, softening the sound of him breathing. There was a knock on the door and Eren froze. </p><p>"Are you in there Eren? Did you think you could pull a turn the corner and hide in a room trick on me?" Rico's voice called. He felt the person behind him press a single finger against his lips before they stepped forward. They opened the door and instead of seeing Eren, Rico went pale at the sight of the masked and hooded person standing in front of her. </p><p>"Who the fuck is Eren?" the figure growled, voice rich with anger. Rico immediately straightened and smoothed out her facial expression, returning to the head maid everyone knew her as. </p><p>"A participant in the race. He turned the corner and seemingly disappeared, so I assumed he had entered the room. My mistake, I apologize for bothering you," she said. The figure glared down at her before shutting the door. Eren smiled as they pulled off the mask and hood, revealing steel grey eyes, ivory skin, and raven black hair. </p><p>"That fucking mask and hood are so annoying and hot. If we didn't have to hide the fact that we're humans, I would've already burned these pieces of shit," he said. Eren smiled. </p><p>"Levi," he said. Levi glanced up and smirked. </p><p>"Welcome back, Eren."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the short chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren needs to come up with a plan to catch Rico, luckily he has a master of strategy, an unpredictable whirlwind, and Levi on his side.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Levi...thanks for the save,” Eren said, a faint blush staining his cheeks. Levi had hugged him!! What the hell??? Ah, it was embarrassing!! Levi stared at him for a moment before his eyes narrowed and a small smirk curled his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, what’s wrong? You’re red,” he said, leaning closer. Eren bit his lip as Levi pressed their foreheads together, as if checking for a fever. Eren blushed brighter and glared at Levi who was still smirking at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing this on purpose,” he whined, glaring childishly at Levi. Levi huffed a laugh and backed up. Eren stood there awkwardly in silence. “I should go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to leave and Levi caught his arm. He pulled him away from the door and further into the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay here a bit. Rico won’t come back anytime and all your other teammates have been caught. Take a break and come up with a plan. Eat and refill your energy.” At the mention of food Eren’s stomach practically snarled. He turned bright red when Levi’s eyes drifted down to stare at his stomach. He snorted a laugh and reached over to press a button on the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Room service, I would like a full luncheon delivered to my room,” he said. Eren’s eyes widened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t eat a whole luncheon,” he hissed once Levi had ended the call. Levi smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing you won’t eat it alone. Hanji and Erwin will be back by the time it arrives so we’ll all eat together. You can pick Erwin’s brain for a strategy then.” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going to help me?” Levi snorted and patted Eren’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m good at instant reactions, like pulling you in here and pretending I don’t know you, but if you want to win against that monstrosity you’re going to need a full plan. Erwin’s the best at those, I just follow the lines he writes out.” Eren hesitantly nodded and Levi glanced at him before he sighed. “Come sit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren yelped a little as Levi pulled him down on the couch and Eren found himself snuggled against Levi’s side. He blushed and tried to sneak away but Levi simply wrapped his arm around him and kept him where he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...Levi...don’t I have to hide so the room service doesn't see me?” Levi frowned and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe when they actually arrive, but for now I want you to rest. There’s no need to get up now.” Eren nodded and slowly relaxed into Levi. His body was warm but Levi’s hands were cool. It was surprisingly soothing. Eren rested his head on Levi’s shoulder and let his eyes slowly drift shut. He wasn’t tired...but something about Levi was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. His eyes drifted shut and Levi chuckled softly when he realized that Eren was napping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Silly brat,” he murmured, poking Eren’s forehead. Eren’s eyebrows pulled together and he grumbled softly in his sleep. He shifted and curled closer to Levi, hands grabbing his shirt in his sleep. Levi chuckled and gently stood up, pulling the boy into his arms. He carried him into the bedroom and gently lay him down on the bed, taking the chance to study Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hair had a cleaner, healthy shine than he’d had when Levi first met. There was a significant amount of flesh on his face compared to the gaunt figure he’d been when they first met. Levi gently lifted Eren’s wrist and wrapped his fingers around it, noting that he couldn’t curl his fingers all the way around like he could when he’d carried Eren out of that lab. The Eren now could hardly be compared to that skinny kid he’d first seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the biggest change had to be Eren’s wings. Before they’d been small and thin, likely unable to carry Eren’s entire weight. They had been barely a meter in length and several feathers were clipped or pulled out. Now they were enormous, almost dwarfing the boy when they spread out. They had a healthy sheen and gloss on the feathers, which were full and thick. He smiled when he thought about how just a few weeks out of that horrible place had brought about such a large change. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard the door open and he tensed before hearing Hanji’s loud cackle. He relaxed and stood, leaving Eren in his bed to go see the others. Hanji and Erwin were pulling off their masks as he leaned against the doorframe. Hanji spotted him and their eyes lit up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi! Have you heard? Eren and his team are in the castle!” They cheered. Levi rolled his eyes, feeling a headache beginning to build. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. After all, I saw him.” Their eyes widened and a shriek escaped their lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?? When? Did you talk to him??” A knock on the door interrupted them. They quickly pulled their hoods on and Levi opened it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here’s your luncheon, sir,” a butler said as he rolled a tray full of food into the room. Erwin and Hanji looked at Levi who ignored them. Once the food was finished being set, they pulled off their masks. Erwin opened his mouth to speak and Levi’s simply turned and walked to his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi?” He called. Levi reached over and gently shook Eren’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren. Eren, wake up. Come eat.” Eren grumbled and shifted slightly, eyes slowly blinking up at Levi. He smiled sleepily and leaned into Levi’s hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mornin’ Levi,” he yawned. Levi’s heart painfully leapt in his chest and he looked away before shaking him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren. It’s time to wake up. The food is here, come eat.” Eren sat up and yawned, stretching slowly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A’right,” he yawned. He stretched and Levi watched in shock as Eren’s wings spread behind him, going all the way across the room. Ere rolled off the bed, landing on his feet and straightened up. Levi turned and walked out of the room, a sleepy Eren holding onto his shirt as he followed. Erwin and Hanji glanced up as Levi entered the room. Hanji opened their mouth to speak and it immediately snapped shut again when they saw Eren clinging to his shirt like a toddler hanging onto his mother’s skirt. A grin crept across their lips and they snickered softly. Levi glared at Hanji. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>word</span>
  </em>
  <span>, four eyes,” he growled. Hanji snickered and then made an ‘innocent’ face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Levi. I would surely never comment on the fact that Eren is clinging to your shirt like a baby,” they purred. Levi glared at them and turned to flick Eren’s forehead. He winced and whined as he reached up to rub the spot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi, what was that for?” Levi stared at him coldly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long are you going to cling to me for?” Eren whined as Levi stalked away and sat down in front of the meal. Eren pulled out another chair and sat down as well, staring hungrily at the food. Now that he'd caught the aroma of the morsels before him, there was no way he could pay attention to anything other than filling his stomach. A loud growl echoed from his stomach and Levi sighed. "Eat already."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately Eren tore into the food. He still had some semblance of manners and delicacy, Levi was here after all and he didn't want to make a giant fool of himself in front of Levi, but for the most part he was like a wild, starving animal. After he nearly devoured an entire chicken by himself, Levi pushed the food away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, I don't think it's good for you to eat too much too soon. You still haven't fully recovered from being starved for so long, so either eat slowly or stop here. Also, please acknowledge the fact that Erwin and Hanji are here, you're being rude." Eren paused and looked up. Immediately his face turned bright pink and he nodded nervously to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"S-sorry for being rude, I was just...hungry..." he trailed off. Hanji burst out laughing. Erwin simply smiled at him and Levi rolled his eyes. Eren turned red to the tips of his ears and looked down at his empty plate. "Sor-" </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Grooowwwlll.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He froze and his face turned even darker while he clutched his stomach. Hanji cracked up again, falling backwards on their chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Levi, please give Eren some food, it seems he's hungry," Erwin said, trying to be polite and make the situation less embarrassing for Eren, but he only made it worse. Levi sighed and put a small portion of food on Eren's plate. Clearly, someone was still being an overprotective mother hen who didn't want Eren to make himself sick. Once they had calmed down, Levi spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright then. We should think of a plan." Erwin paused and glanced at Levi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A plan? For what?" Levi stared at him in exasperation before he spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well first of all, a plan so Eren can beat the monstrosity that's terrorizing him and his teammates, and second, a plan to escape this place." Eren glanced at Levi in confusion. Escape? Why would they need to escape? Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"True, true. So far Eren's been absolutely crushing Kruger with his team, it wouldn't be surprising if he lashed back after the Wing Tournament. He's suffering humiliation after humiliation but he's technically in charge of Eren so there's not much we can do." Levi frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's got to be a way to get out of this place...perhaps leave the flock? Eren, what are your thoughts?" He asked, turning to Eren. Eren stared at them before shifting nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it's just...leaving the flock, that will be easy...after all...I...kindofalreadymademyownflock," he said, spitting out the last few words. There was a moment of silence before Levi spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, do you mind repeating the last bit?" Eren hesitantly looked up at Levi before he spoke again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I kind of already made my own flock?" Hanji's jaw hit the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What? How? When? What was it like? Who are they??" they demanded, literally shaking Eren to try and get answers out of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Four eyes, he can't answer you if you keep shaking him. Let him go!" Levi growled, pushing the scientist away from Eren. Eren groaned and held his head, wincing as a headache began to build. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's my team for the Tournament. Connie, Sasha, and Marco. It's small...but we're not weak. It started out kind of like a joke and then it actually happened so..." he trailed off and Erwin put his chin on his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm...interesting. Anyone else?" Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think Mike would join if I asked him, but I don't know." Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright. So now we have an excuse to leave after the Tournament, but you should discuss with your team first before anything happens. Kruger definitely won't be merciful and you can't be too careful with him. Now then, as for Rico."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ooh, ooh, I know!" They glanced at Hanji who had been standing shockingly silently and listening to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You just need to catch her, right? I think you've become so afraid of her that you've lost sight of the real goal here. So, all you have to do, is run away and when she's about to catch you, turn around and grab her. Her wrist, her waist, it's all fair game. Just grab her and boom, you win." Erwin nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I agree but I do think you should make it a more solid 'capture' if you can. For example, instead of just grabbing her, how about trying to pin her. So you grab her wrist, knock her off her feet, pull the arm behind her back and pin her. Does that seem good?" Eren hesitantly nodded and Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you guys forgetting it's a team effort? You can't just have Eren do all the work, the whole team needs to help. And if we do it your way, she'd know immediately." Hanji pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then what do you want us to do?" They asked. Erwin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, one of your members has a...shield ability, right?" Eren nodded and Erwin tapped his finger against his lips. "What if you gather most of your team, like three members out of the four, and get her to chase you. Then, have the fourth person lying in wait to strike when Rico's back is turned. When you reach the ambush location, turn around and use the shield ability to stop her, even for a moment. Then have the fourth person attack and hopefully bring her down. There's a lot of things that could go wrong, for example your teammates don't know what they're doing, or Rico catches on, but you should be able to deal with those." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Erwin," Eren said with a soft smile. He stood up and went over to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are you going, Eren?" Hanji asked. He glanced back at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To go get the others and do the plan, of course." With that he turned and walked out of the room. The three glanced at each other before Hanji immediately went and turned on the radio, hoping to hear something about the team. Levi sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That idiot's going to get himself caught within ten minutes," he groaned. Erwin smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Now, now Levi, have some faith in Eren. I'm sure he'll manage to surprise us and pull through." Levi glanced at the door where Eren had left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope so," he said softly. He paused for a moment before retreating back into his room. Hanji was distracted as he passed them, but if they'd been paying attention, they would've seen a pale blush on his cheeks. Erwin sighed to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I never thought I'd see the day when Levi of all people was acting like a girlfriend waiting for her boyfriend to come home from war. It's not as fun as I'd imagined it'd be.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Connection and Capture</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren discovers a new flock leader ability and uses it to help them on their hunt of Rico.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren darted through the halls, carefully watching for Rico. He spotted Connie’s unmoving body leaning against the wall across from him. He glanced around and even checked the ceiling before darting forward and grabbing Connie. He then sprinted through the halls to Levi’s room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji froze as the door opened while Levi readied to fight only for a body to get thrown at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren tossed Connie into the room before shutting the door and darted back out, scouring the halls for hints of the others. A loud snoring noise told him where Sasha was and he quickly glanced around, searching for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rico had been kind enough to dump her on one of the many chairs around the mansion, although from the way Sasha’s wings were crumpled and how her head hung off the back, that was definitely not pleasant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scurried back to the room and nearly slammed the door shut when he saw a small, familiar shadow approaching. Levi raised an eyebrow at him as Eren set Sasha down on the couch. Hanji whined at having her favorite spot stolen but didn’t comment on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren, what are you doing?” Erwin asked. Eren glanced at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we need to go over the plan with them, and that’s impossible if I have no clue where they are. Plus, how can they just suddenly know what the hell I plan if I haven’t told them?” Erwin nodded and there was a knock on the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erwin? Can I come in?” Armin’s voice echoed through the door. Erwin’s eyes brightened and Levi noticed the man straighten almost imperceptibly with a raised eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, feel free.” The door opened and Armin stepped in. His eyes widened when he saw Eren dragging Connie closer to the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eren! I didn’t think you were here,” he said. Eren glanced up and nodded at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m only here to collect the others so we can talk and plan.” Armin frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do know you can communicate via the mark, right?” Eren stared at him in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It has such a convenient ability?” He whispered. Armin nodded and Levi glanced over at Erwin, taking note of the almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>carnal </span>
  </em>
  <span>look in his eyes. He shuddered and glanced back at Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do I do that?” He asked. Armin shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know? It was only described as a telepathic communication between the marked and their leader. So, think really hard and loud?” Eren frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What should I say?” Armin sighed and Levi stood up. Immediately Eren glanced over at him, hoping that somehow Levi would have some insight. Levi looked at the bright green puppy eyes before he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suggest you wake them up first,” he said before retreating into his room. Eren frowned and thought about the mark in his head. He then thought of that mark on a phone that was calling Marco, Sasha, and Connie. He had no clue if phones could do that, but he ignored that. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>WAKE UP!!</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>He mentally shouted in the call. It was like someone had attached an electric wire to Sasha and Connie and then proceeded to turn it on. Their bodies jolted, limbs spasming wildly while their eyes snapped open. Their wings spread and crashed into each other. With a cry of alarm they fell down and landed tangled up with each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin stared at them in shock and took a step back to make sure he didn’t get hit by their wings. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Ow! Connie, get off me!</b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Guys? What’s going on?</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>You’re awake?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Connie groaned and looked around, spotting Eren. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How the hell are you talking in my head?” He asked. Eren hesitated before speaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>You guys can all hear me, right?” </em>
  </b>
  <span>Sasha and Connie nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Um guys, where are you? Did you get some mage to hide you? ‘Cause I can’t see you. </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Relax Marco, we’re all in Levi’s room right now, hiding from Rico. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>So this phone call in my head is…</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Does it really show up as a phone in your head?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em><span class="u">Yes</span>. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Yup. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Okay. I wasn’t totally sure how it would be for you guys. I just pictured it as a phone call. Anyways, we need to plan. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Plan?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>What do you mean?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I mean that we need to plan in order to catch Rico. No one ever said how long she had to be caught. Even if it’s just for one second, we still caught her. And I think Rico's honest enough that she'd count that. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>So...what's the plan?</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Well since you and Sasha are here with me, we'll head out and act as bait for Rico while Marco lies in hiding near the ceiling and when she passes, he jumps down and grabs her. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>
      <em>Um, slight problem with that Eren...shouldn't I be one of the bait members? That way we can use my shield to block her attacks?</em>
    </strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <em>He has a point.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Yeah. So then maybe I should be up there? </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Um, sorry if this sounds rude Sasha, but why you?</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because Sasha's always been good at split second reactions and moving almost like an animal. Seriously, you should've seen her after she got put with the maids for one day. Dashing all over the castle without a bite to eat. When dinnertime came and went, I brought her a loaf of bread and she launched up at me from where she'd been collapsed on the floor. In the blink of an eye she'd snatched it out of my hands and was munching on it. She regained sanity halfway through the loaf. Only then did she even acknowledge my presence and thank me for the bread through the enormous bites in her mouth. </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>It wasn't that bad, Connie.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>It really was. So I vote Sasha for being the one in hiding!</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Marco what do you think?</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>
      <em>Sasha reacts quickly and is extremely accurate. I think she's a good choice too. </em>
    </strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Alright, now we need to figure out our route.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Route?</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Route?</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <strong>Why?</strong>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u"></span>
    <em>Well for one thing, we don't know where Rico is, for another we still need to meet up with you Marco, and for a third thing we need to figure out where to ambush Rico. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Ohh. That makes sense. </em>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>
      <em>Well, I'm in the North Corridor, pretending to still be asleep because Rico just passed me. She's heading southward along the main halls so that should give you an idea where both of us are.</em>
    </strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Alright. Sasha, you'll circle around to the North while we try to meet Marco in the central halls. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>We still haven't figured out where the ambush's going to be.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Why don't we do it at the second floor Western staircase? That way Sasha can hide by clinging to the windows up there and when we come running down to 'escape' Rico, she lets go and hits Rico in the back?</em>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>
      <em>Good idea Connie.</em>
    </strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Sounds like a plan. Alright, let's go.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Eren opened his eyes, oddly enough he didn't remember ever closing them, and glanced at the two who were also opening their eyes. </p><p>"Alright, let's do this. Sasha, you know what to do. I'll lead Eren and we'll meet up with Marco. You just make sure you don't get caught and if you do, let us know so we can abort the mission," Connie said. Sasha nodded and opened the door, peering down the hallways to see if anyone was there. Once she was sure they weren't, she took off down the halls, disappearing in what seemed like seconds. Connie tugged on his sleeve and Eren nodded. </p><p>"Come on," he whispered and they exited the room, heading down the halls in the opposite direction. Erwin and Armin stared at where they'd been. A peculiar little smile tugged at Erwin's lips. </p><p>"Truly a fascinating ability. I wonder what the science behind that is?" he murmured. Armin smiled. </p><p>"Perhaps being marked allows them to become more perceptive of the other's mind and communicate together?" he suggested. Erwin glanced at him, a smile still on his lips. </p><p>"But if so, then how far can they communicate? Does the reception get fainter the further apart they are? Are there things that can block the communication?" He turned back to look at the door where Eren had left. "I'm starting to understand why those researchers were so desperate to hide and keep Eren."</p><p>Hearing this, Armin's feathers fluttered nervously and he forced himself not to take a step back. Despite that however, Erwin saw the feathers shift and after the time he'd spent with Eren, knew it meant he was uneasy. He smiled pleasantly at him. </p><p>"Relax, I have no intention of forcing Eren to agree to being studied. If he wishes to find out the extent of his abilities as well, I would be happy to arrange the tests and see what happens." Armin nodded in response to Erwin's words, relaxing slightly. He trusted Erwin. Which was kind of odd once he thought about it because Erwin was a manipulative person, much like Armin himself. However, that didn't really matter in the end as long as Erwin didn't hurt any of his kind or reveal their existence. </p><p> </p><p><br/>Meanwhile, Eren and Connie darted through the halls, sneakily checking everywhere before heading further towards the central area. Once there they met up with Marco, who was hiding in a closet. </p><p>"Marco?" Marco paled and made a shushing motion but it was too late. </p><p>"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join the party," a voice purred maliciously. Eren paled and Marco immediately darted out. </p><p>"RUN!" he shouted, yanking them away as Rico began the chase. Eren and Connie quickly picked up the pace, narrowly dodging Rico's grasp. Eren took the staircase two at a time as they lunged up to the second floor. Rico was hot on their heels, literally snapping at their heels with a hedge clipper. Eren paused and stumbled, only remaining out of her grasp because of Connie yanking him back up. </p><p>"Where the hell did you get a hedge clipper from??" he shouted incredulously. Rico smirked. </p><p>"That's not what you should be worried about now, is it?" she replied almost playfully. Eren shivered and hurriedly called Sasha in his head. </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Sasha, how close are you to being in position??</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>I'm just getting into position now, why?</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Good because we're approaching the ambush location with Rico hot on our heels-FUCK, she almost got me!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Focus on running for now!</strong>
</p><p>Eren disconnected the call and redoubled his efforts, pulling ahead with Connie right behind him. Marco took the rear and occasionally blocked a few hits from Rico. The staircase came into view and Eren charged at it, almost tumbling down it as he reached it. His wings spread and carried him with Connie following quickly. Marco was last and barely managed to escape Rico's grasping hands. Rico smirked and her wings spread as she went to follow them.</p><p>However, the trap worked and the instant Rico appeared in her area of vision, Sasha attacked. She propelled herself off the ledge she'd been clinging to and wrapped her arms around Rico's waist. Rico's eyes widened and she froze for a moment, allowing Marco to grab her and Sasha as they fell. Thankfully because of Marco's shield cushioning them, no one was injured but all three who'd been running were panting for breath. Rico stared at them silently from where she was pinned between Sasha and Marco. Eren gasped for breath, straightening before speaking. </p><p>"We caught you...Rico." Rico huffed and smiled at them. </p><p>"So you did. Alright, let me up. You win. Relax, I won't try anything." Sasha and Marco slowly released her, sighing with relief when she didn't attempt to run away. Rico chuckled and reached into her uniform, pulling out a white envelope. "Here's your next hint but I recommend you stay the night and sleep before attempting it. Most of the other teams are stuck on the second hint and a few have already reached the third. However, I'm even harder to find at night so even if they do come to hunt me, I'll simply knock them out and be done for the night."</p><p>"Okay, thanks Rico." She smiled. </p><p>"Don't mention it." As they turned to walk away, a thought occurred to Eren. </p><p>"By the way, Rico...has the long distance flight always been more of a...scavenger hunt?" he asked. Rico glanced at him for a moment before she sighed. </p><p>"No. It used to be a legitimate long distance flight over uninhabited areas of the world. Not only would it force you to go through different environments and fly for days on end, it allowed you to see the world as the elders saw it: pure and free. With no humans to contaminate it, just as our ancestors did. However, when Nile came into power, he was bored of not knowing where the contestants were or how they were doing so it became a scavenger hunt within a certain area. Now, enough about the past, head to some of the empty guest rooms and go to sleep. You can head off in the morning," she said, walking off. Eren stared after her for a moment before following his teammates to bed. He collapsed in the bed, completely exhausted and finding it hard to believe that they had completed half of the competition in one day. He sighed. </p><p>
  <em>Four more challenges to go and then we're done.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Not an Actual Chapter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This will be deleted eventually.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hello, my lovely readers. I have some bad news. I'm sorry to say that I will be putting this work on hiatus. I have found myself struggling to not only write the actual chapters, but finding time to write at all between work and school. I'm sorry but I hope to resume by the time summer starts so we'll see where things go from there.</p>
  </div></div>
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